


Forbidden Love

by pcworth



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2018-10-29 10:02:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 87,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10851687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pcworth/pseuds/pcworth
Summary: This is an AU where Emma and Regina fall in love but Snow prevents them from being together.





	1. Chapter 1

**NOTE: This takes place not in Storybrooke, but in the Enchanted Forest as you can quickly see.**

Regina waited as the stable boy got her horse ready for her. She was waiting impatiently as she was already late. She had gotten waylaid that morning by her mother who had wanted her to attend court at the castle that morning, but Regina had claimed she had a headache.

She knew she would be in trouble when her mother found out she was leaving for a ride. She didn't care though, she had some place to be.

Finally, she was up on her horse and tearing across the field trying to make up for her lost time.

When she arrived at her destination she quickly tied her horse up to the tree next to the one that was already there. A smile graced her face as she went a little way into the woods to a small pond.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show," Emma said.

"Sorry," Regina said embracing the blonde and kissing her. Once they pulled apart, Regina looked lovingly at the other woman as they held hands and took their seats on the log next to the pond. "My mother wanted me to attend court this morning with her."

"Yeah my mom wasn't pleased that I wasn't going to be making an appearance today either. What excuse did you give?"

"Headache, and you?"

"Complete boredom."

Regina laughed at the answer. "I suppose when you are the crown princess of the realm you can get away with that kind of thing."

"Not for long unfortunately," Emma said letting go of Regina's hand and sitting forward so her elbows were on her knees. Regina immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"I love you," Emma said turning toward after a moment. "You know that right?"

"Of course I do. I love you too or else I wouldn't be sneaking off to see you every chance that I get. What does that have to do with whatever it is that seems to have killed the mood suddenly."

Emma stood and paced for a moment. "Maybe you and I should just run away together."

This time Regina stood. "I would love to do that but you and I both know our parents would search all the lands looking for us and when we got caught, I would be the one in the dungeons of your parents' castle."

It wasn't as if they hadn't fantasized about the idea of being together forever, but they both know it wouldn't happen. Emma was princess, next in line to inherit the crown. While Regina was nobility, there was no way that anyone would consider her an appropriate match for her.

Especially given how their mothers felt about each other.

Regina and Emma were victims of some petty war between their mothers which had been raging since their mothers were teenagers. Neither Regina nor Emma knew exactly what it was that made the two women hate each other.

When Snow White had first caught Emma and Regina talking on one of those occasions Cora had managed to drag Regina to court, Snow had pulled her daughter aside to make it clear that Regina was not an acceptable friend. Emma had asked why but she never got a real answer.

For Cora's part, she didn't hide her disdain for Queen Snow in front of Regina, even if to the rest of the world she pretended to be a loyal supporter. Of course Cora and Snow knew better. Cora had plenty to say about that "spoiled brat" of a princess that she considered Emma to be as well. It's not like Regina could defend Emma to her mother either as both had been forbidden to interact.

That hadn't stopped the two young women though. From the moment they met it seemed they were captivated by each other. For two years now they had been sneaking around, stealing moments – sometimes it was only a few minutes, but on the good days they got to spend hours with each other. Regina had been hoping today would be one of those days. She had been prepared for her mother's wrath when she returned home late. To her it didn't matter as long as she got to be with Emma.

"My parents feel it's time I get married," Emma said. "I didn't really tell my mom that I didn't want to go to court today because of boredom. I merely snuck out of the castle before anyone could stop me. There were supposed to be suitors at court today. I couldn't do it. I couldn't sit through that knowing there was no one I wanted to be with but you."

Emma came over and hugged her. Regina felt like Emma was holding on extra tight and she wondered how many more times they would get to see each other like this. Regina tended to be the more pragmatic of the two so it's not as if she didn't know this day would come.

"Maybe we should stop," Regina said softly.

Emma looked at her. "I don't know if I can. I love you too much."

"I love you too, but we can't stop what is going to happen. Your parents are the king and queen. They are going to make sure their only daughter gets married to someone who they trust to help you carry on the affairs of state when they are gone."

Emma pulled out of her arms completely this time. "And you are ok with this? You don't want to do something, anything to be with me."

"I am not ok with this," Regina assured her. "I hate this. I hate that the one person I love is the one person I am not allowed to be with."

They had backed off from each other and both women stood there in silence.

"I should probably get back," Emma said finally and she began to leave the small clearing. Regina waited a moment before following her out.

They reached their horses and Regina could see Emma was going to mount hers without so much as a hug or kiss goodbye. She felt like her heart was going to break inside her chest.

"I will run away with you."

She said it so quietly when Emma turned to face her, she had to ask what Regina had said.

"I said I will run away with you. I just want us to be together and we know that can't happen here so let's do it."

Emma rushed into her arms, kissing her. "We're going to be together."

Regina smiled even if she didn't share Emma's enthusiasm. After all, when they got caught which Regina was sure they would be, it would be Regina who was executed. The most Emma could expect was a stern talking to from her parents. What Regina was doing would amount to kidnapping in the eyes of the king and queen. It didn't matter if Emma consented to going with her. It wasn't really Emma's position to give such a consent. That power still belonged with the crown.


	2. Chapter 2

Weeks passed by, and then a month, then another month. Despite Emma wanting to run away that instant, Regina had urged her to be patient so they could do this right and be smart about it. Slowly they gathered supplies they believed they would need for their journey and they would take it out and hide it at their meeting spot. Regina had a little more freedom to move than Emma did so her trips out there occurred more often.

Each time she did she feared when she arrived that there would be soldiers waiting for her.

She knew Emma would never betray her like that. Still what they planning came with great risk. A princess didn't run away – it was unheard of.

The moment they discovered Emma was missing the king would send soldiers throughout the land looking for her, which meant she and Emma needed a substantial head start. The plan was to leave at night. Both of them would sneak out after most of the people were asleep. Once they reached their meeting place they would grab their gear and go. There would be no time for hesitation.

Regina was taking two of her family's horses. Most families, including her own and those of the royal court, used special markers on their horses' hooves that indicated ownership in case the horse went missing. Regina had picked her own horse and the another for Emma and had been working to chisel away at those marks as time allowed. Luckily she spent so much time around the stables because she loved riding that she knew what she was doing for the most part.

When Emma arrived, they would simply let her horse run free. It would most likely run back to the castle, but at least they couldn't be tracked from the use of her horse. Regina was concerned that anyone tracking that horse to the spot would see the tracks of the other horses and follow them. But she didn't know what to do about that. All she could hope for was that their head start was enough.

She had gone out to the pond two days ago and left a couple of knives out there. She double checked the other things they had hidden to make sure they hadn't been tampered with. She noticed the addition of another blanket roll – an Emma contribution. Pinned on it was a note.

"I miss you."

Even those few words were enough to make Regina smile. She never imagined she would ever feel as strongly about another person as she did Emma. It was immediate, the moment they had met.

_Flashback_

_Regina was bored. She hated when her mother dragged her to the castle. Firstly, she had to endure her mother's constant criticism of Queen Snow on the way there. And once there she had to endure the fake niceties Cora proclaimed about the queen._

_The whole purpose of going to court Cora had explained to her on multiple occasions was in order to be seen around other nobility. Cora said that if Regina ever expected to marry well it would have to be through a match made most likely through the court setting._

_Regina found the whole thing petty and tedious._

_Yes she went because she had to. She spoke with other ladies of the court, pretending to care about this person or that person or whatever was the talk of the day. She knew many of the others around her age, but she wouldn't go as far as saying she was actual friends with them._

_On this particular day she was so bored that wandered off into the garden area. She admiring one of the flowered trees when she was startled by a figure who was trying to climb up the vine covered wall nearby. The person fell and Regina went over to help them._

_"Are you ok?" Regina asked as she looked down at pair of piercing blue eyes staring back up at her._

_"Yes, thanks," Emma said accepting Regina's hand and pulling herself up. They were still holding each other's hand when Emma was fully up._

_"You're the princess Emma," Regina said letting go of her hand and backing up a step. "Your majesty." She bowed out of respect. She of course recognized the princess. While they had never spoken Regina had seen her at court._

_"Please don't do that," Emma said. Regina looked up at her before straightening. "You just saw me fall like an idiot, I think we can skip the your majesty stuff."_

_Emma gave her a smile and Regina felt a stirring in her stomach that she had never felt before._

_"I didn't mean to intrude upon um whatever you were doing," Regina said feeling like a self-conscious idiot. "I will take my leave."_

_"Wait," Emma said grabbing her arm. "You can't leave yet. I don't even know your name."_

_"It's Regina."_

_"Regina," Emma repeated again with a smile that was making Regina's inside feel like they were tumbling down a hill. "That's a beautiful name."_

_"Thanks," Regina said feeling the blush on her cheeks. She was sure Emma could see it so she adverted her eyes._

_"Do you want to sit down and talk?" Emma asked._

_Regina could only nod. Emma led her over a nearby bench and they sat down next to each other._

_"I was trying to escape," Emma said as she glanced over to where she had fallen. "I didn't feel like sitting through yet another session in there. Some times I wish I had never been born as a royal. I am sorry if that shocks you."_

_"No, I may not be a princess but I understand that being nobility comes with certain responsibilities that are often hard to get through. That is why I was out here as well. I needed a break."_

_"Yes, a break. That is what I needed. I mean all the endless talk in there, it gets so old, but my parents are always telling me it's my duty."_

_"Sounds like my mother. She is always lecturing me about being a proper young lady, marrying well and not disgracing the family name."_

_"That also sounds familiar. What is your family name?"_

_"Mills. My father is Duke of the Ander province."_

_"Ander. Known for its racing horses and wheat production."_

_Regina gave her a strange look._

_"Sorry, as princess, it's my duty to know all about the different provinces. My father does say your horses are the best."_

_"We like to think so."_

_"Your mother must be Cora Mills."_

_"She is."_

_There was a moment of uncomfortable silence between them as both women seemed to realize that their mothers didn't get along._

_"You know one of us should probably get back in there," Regina said. "It would only be prudent. Since I can hardly escape, why don't you let it be me."_

_She stood up. "It was nice talking to you, your majesty."_

_"It's Emma," Emma said also rising. "To you, it can always be Emma."_

_"Emma," Regina smiled and she began to leave._

_"I should thank you," Emma called out._

_"What for?"_

_"Well now I know something else about the Ander_ _Province."_

_"And what is that?"_

_"That the Lady Regina is as kind as she is pretty."_

_Regina thought her heart couldn't beat any faster as Emma gave her one last smile before disappearing._

_After that the next time Cora wanted to take her to court, Regina was actually eager to go. She had dressed nicely and had her hair up. Once there she was chatting with some of the other women when Emma made an appearance. Normally when the princess was in attendance she stayed up on her throne and only entertained those people who seemed to be pre-approved to speak with her._

_While she sat on the throne this time she also sought out Regina's eyes almost immediately. A smile lit up her face and Regina again felt herself blush. Why did this woman have such an affect on her, she wondered. She had kept thinking about Emma every day since their first encounter._

_After Emma made enough of an appearance, she stood, made eye contact with Regina and Regina saw her nod her head to the side in the direction of the garden. Regina excused herself from the person she was talking to and headed out that way. A few moments later Emma was pulling her into the back of the garden where they would have more privacy._

_"You really need to start coming to court more often," Emma said._

_"Do I?"_

_"Yes. Two sessions now that you have missed."_

_"You've been keeping track?"_

_"Of course. You are the only reason I came to court those days and today."_

_Regina couldn't help but beam at her. "Then I guess I need to be better at attending."_

_They talked for the short amount of time they had before splitting up again and that is how it went. Regina would go to court and she and Emma would sneak off into the garden. That was until the day Queen Snow caught them. Specifically, one of the attendants saw them and let the queen know._

_Snow had marched out to the garden and practically pulled Emma away from Regina forcing her to rejoin her public presence in the court._

_It was months before Regina saw Emma again. The queen had pulled Cora aside to let her know that she didn't feel Regina was an appropriate friend for the princess to have. Of course this angered Cora and she took it out on Regina._

_The next time Regina came to court Emma wasn't there. The time after that Emma was there but she never looked in Regina's direction and Regina knew that their brief whatever it was, was over. But then a serving maid slipped Regina a piece of paper. It was a note with directions from Emma of a place to meet in three days._

_Waiting even the three days was like torture for her, but at the arranged time Regina rode her horse to the small pond that Emma had directed her to and there was Emma waiting._

_"I'm sorry," Emma said._

_"It's not your fault," Regina replied. "You are the princess and your mother is the queen so she has every right to tell you who you should be spending time with."_

_"No she shouldn't. This is my life. It's not fair."_

_Regina shrugged. "But it's the world we live in."_

_"That doesn't make it right."_

_"I agree."_

_Again they fell silent._

_"At least we got to spend some time together," Regina said finally. "Even if it was brief."_

_"It's not over," Emma said quickly. "That is why I told you to meet me here. This is my little hideaway spot. This is usually where I come when I want to be alone, but I thought this could be our spot. You know we could meet here and spend time together."_

_"I don't know, your mother and my mother have forbidden us from having this kind of contact."_

_"But I don't want to not be able to see you, and talk to you, and …"_

_Emma came closer and she pulled Regina in to her body. When their lips touched Regina knew it was over for her. She knew she had found the one person in this world that she would love forever._


	3. Chapter 3

It had now been more than three months and Regina went to court that day hoping Emma would be able to communicate with her somehow. Everything was ready and in place but the two of them hadn't seen each other or talked to each other in weeks. The last communication was that note saying 'I miss you,' and while she had left a note in return that note was still there when she had returned.

Regina was more than a little nervous about going to court because of what they were planning. It's not as if she hadn't gone in the three months, but this was different. Now was the time they could actually do it – runaway from this whole situation.

"What did you say?" she asked her mother suddenly since she hadn't actually been paying attention. It earned her a sigh from Cora.

"I said I expect today will be the day that the queen and king announce the ball. It's been all the talk the last couple of weeks. Honestly, Regina you need to start paying attention to details."

She vaguely remembered her mother telling her something before about a ball.

"This is important. We will need to make sure we get a new dress tailored for you. The room will be full of eligible bachelors and it is way past the time that we look to arranging a marriage for you. With the princess getting engaged the other noblemen will now set their sights on a good match for themselves."

"Emma's engaged?"

"Do not refer to her like that, especially in public," Cora said. "And yes, she's engaged, why else would the king and queen be holding a ball if not to announce it."

Regina felt like she was suffocating and she turned her head toward the window of the carriage. No wonder she hadn't heard from Emma.

Engaged. The word kept going over and over in her brain.

"I would have thought you would be happy for the princess, despite your ill-fated attempt at friendship with her, I thought you liked her," Cora said noticing her daughter's reaction.

Neither of their moms knew that the girls were pursuing anything but friendship and at the time they were caught Regina figured that was all it would ever be.

"I do like her," Regina said forcing a smile. "And of course I am happy for her."

She knew now why she hadn't seen or spoken to Emma. Engaged. She hated herself for wondering how much of a say Emma had in it. Had she chosen someone else? Or had she simply seen what Regina had seen – that running away was a risk that was in no way a guarantee that they would get to be together like they had talked about.

They arrived at the castle and Regina didn't want to go in but she had no choice. They entered and Regina's eyes immediately went to the thrones, but Emma wasn't there. She wasn't sure if that made her relieved or more anxious.

Cora immediately swept into the room finding someone suitable to speak to and Regina approached some other young ladies she knew.

"Good day Regina," Abigail said.

Abigail was probably the only one there she would consider a friend. They had known each other for years and at least when they were alone they didn't try so hard at being proper young ladies.

"Good day," Regina said in response. "My mother tells me we are expecting an announcement of a ball today."

Abigail was usually good for knowing the latest news.

"It is hard to say," Abigail said linking her arm with Regina's and excusing them from the group they were with so they could speak alone.

"What do you know?" Regina asked.

"Well, I hear that king and queen are pressuring the princess into agreeing to marriage with one of three eligible men. They were hoping she would make a decision so they could throw this ball to announce the official engagement. But the princess has not chosen yet."

"She hasn't?"

"No. In fact there is a scandalous rumor going around that the reason she has not is because she has fallen in love with someone whom her parents do not approve of."

Regina began to get nervous. If that was going around as a rumor, did people know who Emma had fallen for?

"Who is this person that her parents do not approve of?" Regina asked, as if she wanted to be let in on some juicy gossip.

"No one knows."

That was of little relief to Regina.

"I suppose it doesn't matter. The princess will marry someone who her parents approve of. She may be willful at times but she has never defied her parents that I have heard."

Except in meeting secretly with me and planning to runaway, Regina thought.

Abigail stopped their walk and was studying Regina which made her self-conscious.

"I have noticed you haven't been here often as of late," Abigail said. "But when you are here I have noticed a certain person can't seem to keep their eyes off of you."

"What!" Regina said, panicking for a moment.

"Don't act innocent. Daniel has certainly come a long way from the scrawny kid we used to know."

"Daniel," Regina laughed in relief. "He has grown up."

"And he's coming this way. Have fun."

Regina turned and saw Daniel approaching her. He was two years younger than her but had seemed to grow into his adult body over night. He also happened to be Emma's second cousin, which made him nobility enough that a pairing with him would be attractive to any of the ladies here, but not high enough on the food chain that he had any particular obligations in regards to the crown.

"Hello, Lady Regina," Daniel said bowing slightly.

"You know I hate being called Lady," she said smiling at him.

He gave her an even bigger smile in return and moved to stand beside her, leaning over to whisper in her ear. "I know you do," he said. "But we do have to keep up appearances."

"I suppose we do your lordship."

They shared another smile. She always liked Daniel. He was fun to be around and didn't take all of this court stuff too seriously.

"So who is the gossip about today?" he asked.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Come now, we both know Abigail practically bursts at the seams to tell you the latest and as a gentleman I am expressly forbidden to talk about such things or hear them."

"If you aren't allowed to hear it, then why are you asking?"

"Don't make me cause a scene in order to get you to tell me."

She looked at him from the corner of her eye. Sadly she knew he wasn't above causing a scene. That was the other thing about Daniel, he tended to believe in bending the rules if not flat out breaking them.

"The gossip is about a ball and whether or not it will happen."

"Oh, it's going to happen."

She turned toward him this time. "You sound certain."

"Because I know it's being planned already."

"Then it's true, the princess is engaged."

"No," he said shaking his head. "Not for lack of her parents trying however. The ball will happen though and from what I have heard if Emma doesn't choose a suitor by the end of it, her parents will choose for her."

"I thought you weren't allowed to hear gossip."

He shrugged. "Actually, part of the reason I came over here was because of the ball."

"Oh," she said, a sinking feeling in her stomach as she realized where this was headed.

"Yes, I was hoping you planned on attending it."

"My mother has already talked of what to wear."

"Then I hope you will be willing to share a dance or two or three with me."

The smile on his face was so big that she couldn't help but smile back.

"Consider the first dance yours," she said.

"And the second and the third?" he added.

"Perhaps," she said.

She did like Daniel and maybe if she hadn't given her heart to Emma she would be willing to see Daniel as someone she could fall in love with. But it appeared all the more likely that Emma would be engaged soon and there was nothing they could do to prevent it. Maybe she should be content that at least Daniel was a realistic option for her if their families would agree to it. If the queen had a say in it, she was sure that wouldn't happen. Luckily Daniel was related to them through the king.

Daniel excused himself and headed toward the thrones where Regina noticed Emma now sat. Emma appeared to be looking in her direction but focused on Daniel as he got closer. Regina watched as Daniel approached Emma and then turned away. She knew Daniel and Emma got along but she wasn't sure how close their relationship was and if even now her name was coming up in conversation.

"Well?"

She turned to see Abigail and two other women suddenly around her.

"Well what?"

"What did he want because he certainly walked away smiling."

"He asked if I would dance with him at the ball."

"So the ball is happening?" one of the others asked, but Abigail waved off the question.

"Did he ask like a friend would ask or did he ask like someone who is interested in perhaps courting you?" Abigail pried.

"There was no talk of courting," Regina said, seeing the looks of disappointment all around. "He merely asked me for a dance, or two or three."

Their faces all lit up and Regina couldn't help but join in. She had been so stressed lately that even this small moment was enough to make her feel a little lighter. She continued to talk with Abigail and the others – occasionally stealing a glance at Emma, who appeared to be busy talking to a couple of guys. Regina recognized them both as people who would be "suited" to be engaged to the princess.

When it was time for them to leave Regina looked once more at the thrones but they were empty. She and her mother waited for their carriage to be pulled around.

"Excuse me Duchess," a messenger said to her mother. "But the queen requests an audience with the Lady Regina. I've been asked to escort her back."

Regina looked at her mother.

"Go," Cora said to Regina. "You must not keep the queen waiting."

Regina's heart was definitely going to fly out of her chest she thought the closer they got. They were shown into a room that appeared to be sitting room of some sort.

"Regina," Queen Snow said entering the room. Regina bowed and was surprised when the queen took her hands as if they were personal friends and led her over to sit. "How have you been my dear?"

"Fine, your majesty."

"I am pleased to hear that. I am sure you are wondering why I have asked to see you."

Regina remained silent not sure if that was a question or if she should say anything.

"It's about my daughter," Snow said. "You have probably heard the talk of the ball we intend to put on. We would have announced it today but I am afraid Emma just wasn't ready. That is where I was hoping you could assist me. I see now that I shouldn't have forbid you and Emma from seeing each other. Emma needs a friend right now, a friend she can talk to about personal things, things she might not feel comfortable with talking to her father and I about. I saw you earlier out there talking with your friends so I am sure you know that sometimes a girl needs a girl her age to talk to."

"You wish for me to speak with the princess."

"Not just speak with her but help guide her in her decision making. Emma is at an age where it's time for her to marry. A place that you too are at if I am not mistaken. I know it may feel like you have the rest of your lives ahead of you and there is plenty of time to make such decisions, but the truth is, it's actually a narrow window of time. All I ask is that you listen to what she has to say and help her see that it's ok to make a decision. I am sure you want what is best for Emma as her friend."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Then it's settled. My carriage will pick you up in lets say three days and bring you here so you might spend time with Emma."

Snow stood and Regina did as well, bowing once more as she realized the conversation was over. The same messenger escorted her to where her mother awaited in the carriage.

"What did she want?" Cora demanded.

"I think she wants me to talk Emma into making a decision on who to marry," Regina replied. The one topic she had no desire to speak to Emma about and now the queen had laid it on her shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire carriage ride to the castle three days later had Regina's stomach in knots. She couldn't even be happy about the prospect of seeing Emma because the only reason she was getting to see her was to convince Emma to choose a husband.

There was still a level of disbelief over the situation. The queen was expecting Regina to do as she wished and Regina knew if she didn't it could spell doom for her. Despite her obvious dislike of her mother, the queen had never done anything to their family that had impacted them negatively – as far as Regina knew and she wanted to keep it that way.

She realized now how foolish it was for her to even contemplate running away with Emma. It was selfish even. If they had been caught not only could it have cost Regina her life, but it could have cost her family dearly as well.

She hadn't given it any thought until this request by the queen. It was her mother of all people who had warned her not to screw this up because of its affect on not only Regina's future but all of their futures. Cora had told her that this could be her opportunity to show that she had a connection with the crown which would make any marriage offer even more appealing.

Regina had done what she usually did when her mother talked like that – she sat there without saying a word.

They finally arrived at the castle and Regina was escorted into the same room where she met the queen only to find the king and queen there. She bowed her head in deference to their station.

"Regina, I was so pleased when my wife told me that you had agreed to come here and speak with Emma," Charming said. "This is obviously a delicate time for her and we agree that her having a friend to speak to about it is for the best. Thank you for letting us commandeer some of your time."

He said it like she had a choice in the matter, and she wondered exactly what it was that the queen had told him. She had grown up listening to her mother tell her how Snow was not to be trusted – a sentiment that Cora had repeated before Regina had left – but Regina had never really given it much thought. Now she couldn't help but wonder.

"It's my pleasure, your majesty."

The king excused himself and Regina was left there with Snow, who again took her hand and led her over to sit down.

"Regina, I echo the king in saying we are grateful for you coming today. Emma has been … distant, yes I think distant is the right word for it, as of late. You must understand that there is great pressure on her right now, which I wish was unavoidable but it is not. She is princess and with that comes responsibilities to not only the title, but to the people of our kingdom. They need to know that the heir to the throne is someone they can believe in when the time comes for her to rule. This is no easy decision she is set to make, which I think is why she is finding such difficulty in the task. Today, just listen to her, see what she has to say on the subject. If it seems appropriate to offer an opinion or if she asks you to then you need to guide her toward the idea that she needs to make a decision. Do you understand?"

"I believe so your majesty."

"Good. Now Emma's schedule is cleared for the next couple of hours so you two can have time together. She doesn't know that you are here for this specific purpose only that I felt like she needed a friend to talk to and I suggested that friend be you. It would probably be best if we kept the real reason why between us. Can I trust you to do that?"

"Of course your majesty."

Regina was escorted up to Emma's private quarters – a place she had never been before. When one of the maids opened the door for her, she stepped in and there was Emma standing near the window. She turned and smiled when she saw Regina, but didn't move.

"Sadie, you are dismissed," she said to the maid. "And see to it that Regina and I are not disturbed."

The maid bowed and then left, as soon as she did, Emma rushed over, wrapping her arms around Regina.

"I have missed you so much," Emma said kissing her.

The logic side of Regina's mind told her that kissing Emma was a bad idea but as soon as their lips connected, Regina couldn't help but kiss her back.

"You didn't say you missed me," Emma said with a slight pout.

"You didn't give me the chance," Regina said.

"I suppose not," Emma smiled before kissing her again.

Regina wanted nothing more than to get lost in those kisses, but she pulled back.

"What's wrong?" Emma said immediately. "Are you mad at me since I haven't been able to get to our spot? It's not as if I didn't want to get there, but things around here have been hectic."

"I am not mad at you," Regina said. "I've missed you more than you could possibly know. It's just …"

"Just what?"

"I don't know that we should be kissing here in your room. If we get caught …"

"We're not going to get caught. No one would dare enter my quarters without my permission."

Except the king and queen, Regina thought.

"Forgive me if I am a little nervous."

"You have nothing to worry about, although you are kind of cute when you are nervous."

Emma again pulled Regina into her arms and kissed her.

"See I have some idea of how much you missed me because I have missed you just as much if not more," Emma said when she finally stopped kissing her. She held her hand and led her over to the bed and for a moment Regina got really nervous but Emma merely sat on the edge and Regina sat beside her. Emma never let go of her hand.

"I was surprised when my mom told me she had asked you to come here. She said she felt bad about the way she responded to you and I before and that she was hoping to make it up to me by inviting you here. She said it would be nice for me to have a friend."

Emma gave her a small smile, one that was more forced than her previous ones.

"I know about the ball," Regina said.

"And I know Daniel asked you to dance at it," Emma said.

There was silence between them for several moments.

"At least we can be friends," Regina said finally.

"What?" Emma said. "None of this changes things – at least not for me. You are the only person I want to be with. Are you saying you don't want to be with me?"

"You know I do."

"Good because we can still do this, we can still run away and be together."

Regina stood up. Somehow knowing this would happen didn't make it any easier. She walked away from the bed, away from Emma.

"What is it?" Emma said.

Regina turned to face her. "I can't run away with you."

"Yes you can. We have it all planned out," Emma said coming over and taking both of Regina's hands in hers. "We are going to be together."

"No we're not," Regina said, releasing her hands. "I can't do it. I was prepared to do it because all I want it to be with you, but things have changed now."

"Is this about Daniel? Do you have feelings for him?"

"No!" Regina said so quickly that she earned a smile from Emma. "I like Daniel yes, but the only person I have feelings for is you. You own my heart Emma. No matter what happens to us in the future, know that I gave my heart to you and it will always be yours."

"Then why are you backing out of the plan? Talk to me. Whatever is wrong we will find a way around it."

Regina sighed. "You don't understand, you couldn't. You're the crown princess Emma. This entire kingdom will one day be yours to rule but until that time comes it belongs to your parents. If we were to run away and get caught, it wouldn't just doom me – I could destroy my entire family with my actions. I can't do that."

Emma didn't say anything at first as she considered this. "I don't know what to say. I didn't think about the consequences I guess."

"It's not your fault. I didn't say it to place blame on you. It's just the way it is. In a different time or place maybe things would work out in our favor, but this situation, it's impossible."

Emma approached her again and hesitated before taking her hand this time. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," Regina said. "I guess we do what is expected of us."

"Meaning we get married to people we don't love."

"Who are the suitors that your parents have selected?"

"This isn't fair. I shouldn't be forced to marry someone my parents select," Emma said. "There has to be another way. There has to be."

Before Regina could speak, Emma was kissing her again. She felt the desperation in that kiss and she forced them to break contact. Emma looked at her with such sadness that Regina wanted only to take her into her arms about and comfort her.

"Sebastian Andrews, son of Lord Denton Andrews, is the one my mother seems to be pushing me most toward," Emma said backing away and taking a seat on the chaise lounge. Regina took a seat on the bed to listen to her.

"He's ok, I guess. Handsome, from a good lineage."

"Is he the kind of person who will treat you right?"

"I don't know. He seems to say all the right things, but something about him bothers me."

"Do you have any idea of what it is that bothers you?"

"No. He just seems too good if that makes any sense. But he is a better choice than Duke Carolan."

"Carolan, he's like 15 years older than you."

"I am aware," Emma said. "He's a complete bore, but somehow manages to come off like he has some entitlement to be part of the royal family. Plus he's been married before, although she died young and he never had children. I gather he is only part of the equation because he has massive land holdings and protects our eastern border."

Regina hated this conversation more and more and hated that she was here because of it.

"Who else?" she managed to choke out.

"Killian Jones, son of Lord Stuart Jones. He is interesting. He's not like the others in that he doesn't remind every two seconds that I am the crown princess. He seems more normal than the others. There are others but those are the three that seem to be the finalists in my mom's eyes at least."

Regina wanted to run from the room, run from the castle entirely. She sat there not saying anything. She couldn't say anything. How was she supposed to help Emma come to a decision? She didn't want any of these men anywhere near Emma.

The silence stretched on as neither girl seemed ready to speak. In the end it was Emma who spoke first.

"Have you and Daniel … have you kissed?"

"No, have you kissed any of these men?"

"No."

The silence returned.

"I can't stand the thought of marrying someone else," Emma said. "I don't want to be forced to marry someone I don't love. My parents love each other, I know they do, so why did they get to marry for love and I don't."

"Maybe they didn't always love each other. Maybe they grew to love each other and they think that could work for you too."

"Is that what you want, for me to fall in love with one of these guys?"

"You know I don't."

"Do I, because your sitting there with very little to say on the subject. The only thing I have heard you say this entire time is that we can't be together."

"Do you think this is easy for me?" Regina said getting angry. "Do you think I like hearing you talk about these guys who have a chance to be with you because their fortuitous births? It's tearing me a part inside. I love you. I love you so much I was going to run away with you even if it meant my death if we were ever caught so don't sit there and turn this around on me."

"I'm sorry," Emma said coming to her side. "I'm sorry."

Emma buried her head in Regina's lap as she cried. Regina wanted to continue to be angry at Emma for acting like she was the only one affected by this but the moment Emma began to cry she couldn't hold on to that anger anymore. She lightly brushed at Emma's hair and let her cry.

When Emma was finally done she sat back up and looked at Regina with red rimmed eyes.

"I'm never going to love anyone but you. It doesn't matter if I am forced to marry, there will never be anyone else but you. I know you feel the same way, but please just say it."

"I will never love another. I swear," Regina said. "It will always only be you."


	5. Chapter 5

Before Regina could leave she had to speak once more with Queen Snow.

"How did it go?"

"She talked about the suitors – three of them at least."

"And did she seem to be leaning any certain way?"

"I think it's safe to say Duke Carolan is not going to be her choice, but otherwise no."

"Well that at least gets it down to two," Snow said excitedly. "Thank you Regina. Thank you for doing this."

"Of course your majesty."

"I will be in touch about when to have you over again."

"Yes your majesty. Perhaps Emma and I could go for a ride or something next time, get her out of the castle where she might feel more comfortable speaking."

"Excellent idea. I will make arrangements."

The truth was Regina didn't want to be alone in a room with Emma again because she knew they wouldn't be able to keep their hands off of each other. Despite saying they couldn't be together they had spent the rest of their time lying on Emma's bed kissing and confirming their love for each other. It made the whole thing worse in Regina's mind. She knew if they were permitted to go for a ride it would be with guards nearby so there would be no chance of them kissing.

Emma was depressed after Regina had to leave. She didn't want to be stuck in a marriage with one of these guys that she had no feelings for. Regina was the one she was meant to be with – of that she was certain. But she didn't know how they could be together.

She understood Regina's concerns about running away together. She hadn't really thought about Regina's family be in danger if they ran away; all she could think about was the chance to be with Regina forever.

Maybe she could talk to her father about this. He was certainly being less pushy about the whole marriage thing as compared to her mother. If she could get him on her side maybe she would have a chance to explain to her mother that she wanted to marry for love, not because of someone's suitable standing in society. Yes, Regina's family wasn't quite on the level that her mother was targeting for a suitor but it wasn't as if she was a peasant. And even if she was Emma knew it wouldn't change the way she felt about her.

If only their mothers weren't at odds with each other, Emma might stand a chance at convincing her mother that Regina would make an excellent choice to rule by her side when she became queen one day.

"What's the matter your majesty, life getting you down?" a voice laughed. Emma turned to see a strange looking man in her bed chamber.

She was about to scream for help when he seemed to anticipate the move. "Now, now your majesty, I am not here to harm you. In fact I am here to help you with your current problem. What would you say if I told you that there is a way for you and the Lady Regina to be together?"

"Who are you?"

"Rumplestiltskin, at your service," he said with a flourished bow.

"You are the Dark One," Emma said backing up.

"That is an unfortunate moniker yes, but that doesn't mean I can't deliver results. And if I am not mistaken, what you want is to be able to be with your lady love, or am I wrong?"

Emma had heard stories of this man – none of them good. She knew she should call for her guards, but she didn't. Instead she asked, "How can you help me and Regina be together?"

…

Regina and Emma left the castle on horseback with three guards following them. They were staying far enough back to be able to let them talk privately. Regina was again nervous coming there to talk to Emma about the subject of who she was going to marry.

It had been three weeks since they had last seen each other and as soon as she arrived Emma was giving her a beaming smile that made Regina uneasy as Emma's mother was standing right there at the time.

Emma hadn't objected to them going for a ride which Regina was thankful for. As much as she wanted to be able to press her lips to Emma's she also knew it was best if they stopped such things now rather than later.

They rode for a long time not saying anything. Regina tried to start a conversation but Emma didn't seem to be in the mood for talking.

"Do you think we've ridden out kind of far?" Regina asked.

She watched as Emma glanced back at the guards to make sure they were far enough back before speaking.

"We're going to be together," Emma said excitedly.

"What?"

"You heard me. I have found a way that you and I get to be together and the best part is, it poses no danger to your family. No one will even know that we are together so there will be nothing to trace back to your family and endanger them in any way."

Regina looked back at the guards quickly. "How is this possible?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do."

"Good because the less you know right now the safer you and your family will be. We're going to be careful about this, I promise. I wouldn't want to do anything that would endanger you or your family."

Regina's mind was practically spinning with this information. Could Emma have really found a way for them to be together safely? It seemed impossible. It was all she had wished for but she knew of no way that it could actually happen.

"You are sure this plan will work?"

"Positive," Emma said. "We're going to be together just like we dreamed about. We aren't going to have to worry about marrying someone else or pretending to have feelings for anyone else but each other."

Regina couldn't help but smile as Emma smiled at her. Emma's exuberance was practically infectious.

"How though?" Regina said more quietly this time. Her paranoia at being found out was already creeping in. "When?"

"I am sorry that I couldn't tell you sooner."

"That's ok."

"No, you don't understand. I am sorry you aren't going to get the chance to say goodbye to your parents."

"Say goodbye to my parents. I don't understand."

One of the guards yelled and Regina looked as six armed men came riding toward them from the wooded area to the right. There were more of them then the three guards there to protect them and from the way the men were riding at them Regina knew they needed that protection.

"Your majesty, Lady Regina, ride to the castle. We will hold them off," one of the guards said.

Regina turned her mount around quicker than Emma but she wasn't about to leave Emma behind so she waited the few moments it took for Emma to get maneuvered. They both kicked their horses to get them to run back the way they came. They sped up a hill they had just recently come down and were headed down the opposite side when Regina spotted another group of riders headed to cut them off.

"This way," Regina said moving her horse to hopefully get around them.

"No Regina," Emma said. "Slow up."

"What?" Regina said hardly believing it as Emma slowed her mount. Regina had no choice but to do the same. The men came closer to them and Regina knew they couldn't escape.

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "But this was the only way."

"Only way for what?"

"For us to be together. You have to let these men take you."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"No, listen," she said. "My guards back there will be fine, but once they catch up to me, I have to be alone. I am going to tell them you were taken. See this way there is no evidence that we left together. These men are going to take you somewhere safe and I will join you I promise. It's going to take a couple of weeks or so, but I promise I will come for you. You will be safe and once I am there we are going to disappear."

Regina didn't know what to say. The riders came up to them and one of them looked at Emma.

"We need to go now."

"Take her," Emma said.

"Emma!" Regina yelled as one of the men pulled her from her horse and onto his.

"Please, Regina, be brave. I will come for you, I promise. Take care of her."

Regina tried to yell no, but the man she was now sitting in front of clasped a hand over her mouth as they began to ride off.

….

"How could you let this happen?" Cora demanded of the Queen. "Three guards is hardly suitable protection for two young women, especially when one is the crown princess and the other is my daughter."

Emma sat in a chair by the window keeping silent. She had made it back to the castle with her guards who were all fine minus a few bruises. They had fought with the men until the men had called off the small battle and ridden away. When her guards had caught up to her, they had found her sitting on the ground next to her horse and Regina's horse crying. She desperately told them how another group of men had ridden out and cut them off and how Regina had bravely pretended to be the princess so she would be taken and not Emma.

They had gone directly to the king and reported what had happened and a messenger was immediately sent out to bring Regina's parents there to the castle. Riders had also been sent out to try and track down the kidnappers, but Emma being too distraught was of very little help in giving them good directions to follow.

Of course this was all part of the plan she had contrived with the Dark One, but sitting here now she felt horrible for Regina's parents who had no way of knowing that their daughter would be fine.

"We are doing everything in our power to get Regina back. We will find those responsible for this outrage and they will be punished," Snow said, trying to calm down Cora.

Emma could tell that Cora wanted to yell some more at the queen, but as she took a seat on the settee she seemed unable to muster up the anger.

"I just want my daughter back," Cora said so quietly that Emma barely heard it. She was even more surprised when her own mother took a seat beside Cora and took her hand in hers.

"We will get her back," Snow assured her. "I promise."

….

Regina was scared the entire ride. They had stopped to rest their mounts several times, but for the most part they had kept a steady pace throughout the day and into the early evening. She had no idea where they were headed only that they were somewhere east of the castle.

Despite Emma's assurance that she would be fine Regina felt anything but good about this. None of the riders had spoken to her even though she had demanded they tell her where they were going. She didn't think it would be possible but she fell asleep at some point during the night and woke lying on a blanket on the ground. They appeared to have camped for the night somewhere and she had slept through it. As she sat up one of the men approached her, holding out a waterskin for her which she drank generously from and thanked him, hoping maybe if she was polite she might get some answers.

She stood up and stretched, looking around to see if there was anything around them that might tell her where they were. They appeared to be camped by a river, and while she could guess as to which one it was based on her knowledge of geography she had no idea if she was right or not.

They gave her some food to eat that morning and then it was back up on the horses again. This time the rode a little more southeast than they had the day before. They continued like this for four more days – and during that time Regina became more disheartened. Clearly Emma had made some sort of arrangement with these men yet they all refused to say where they were taking her. They weren't unkind to her, but they also ignored her for the most part. It was nearing the evening when they entered a forest that Regina had seen them approaching a couple of hours ago. The way became slower and she found she was getting tired again. Her body ached from riding this long and she was in serious need of a bath.

Only once during the ride had she seen anything more than a singular farmhouse. They had passed a small village the day before but they stayed far from it that it didn't take long for it to be a dot at the edge of Regina's vision. But now as they came through the forest she gasped as they came upon a clearing with a castle in the middle of it.

It seemed dark and not just because it was night time and for the first time Regina realized where she was being taken.

Growing up every child who misbehaved had been told if they didn't start behaving that one day they might find themselves in castle of the Dark One. It was a fairy tale story to make kids do the right thing. She had heard different versions of it throughout her life, but they all had certain commonalities and one of them was the castle in the forest.

What had Emma done was her only thought.


	6. Chapter 6

Regina was brought into a room with a long table and left there. She was so afraid that she stood there, not even daring to look around. Could she really be in the castle of the Dark One, she wondered.

A door on the opposite side of the room where she had entered opened.

"Welcome Lady Regina," the creature said bowing before approaching her. "I hope your journey here to my castle went well."

He walked right up to her and she could only stare at him. He had the look of a man but his skin – his skin seemed almost like a golden color. He was smiling at her and she didn't like it.

"What's the matter dearie, are you not one for conversation?" he said. "Well no matter. Perhaps it is best if you listen more than speak."

He started to circle her, examining her from head to toe and she moved as he did, not liking being under his eye like that.

"What am I doing here?" she asked finally.

"Didn't the princess explain it to you?"

She shook her head no. Emma had told her she was going someplace safe and that she would join her but this isn't what Regina would consider safe. There had to be some sort of mistake.

"Please have a seat, and I will explain what you are doing here then," he said indicating she should sit at the table. She was hesitant but she also needed to know what was going on so she sat.

He took a seat on the opposite side of the table and leaned forward with his hands clasped together.

"You and I are going to be spending some time together. I promise, you will find it most educational."

"I don't understand."

"You my dear have what we like to call potential. It's a wasted potential however. For that I blame your mother. How is Cora these days?"

"My mom?"

"Yes, Cora is your mother, correct?"

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"I know a great many things, some of which I would like to teach you. That is why I arranged to have you brought here."

"But Emma, she said I was going someplace safe and she would meet me and that we were going to be together."

"As you will be. The deal I made with the princess was that I would help the two of go somewhere that you could safely be together. In order to do that however you are going to need to help the process along."

"How?"

"Magic of course, but we can speak more on that later. I am sure you are hungry from your travels and perhaps tired."

He stood and rang a bell that he made appear in his hand. The door opened again and a young woman about her age entered. If this woman thought it odd that Regina was there she gave no evidence of it.

"Belle this is Regina, my new student. See to it that she is fed and then show her to a room where she can freshen up and rest," he said and then he left.

Student, why had he called her his student, Regina wondered. She was confused and her head was beginning to ache.

"I will bring you some food," Belle said.

"Wait," Regina said. "What's going to happen to me?"

"I don't know," Belle said. "Let's get you fed first though."

"He's … he's the Dark One, isn't he?"

"His name is Rumplestiltskin," Belle said simply and something in the way she said it gave Regina pause. It was almost as if this woman was defending him by making that simple declaration.

…

Emma was worried for Regina. She didn't like that she had to wait to go meet up with her, but she knew she had no choice. There had been no progress in finding her since she had been taken five days ago. Regina's parents had returned to their home in hopes that maybe whoever took her would contact them for a ransom.

As for Emma's parents, well, the possible abduction of their own daughter had made them overprotective. Emma couldn't go anywhere without four guards being in sight. She had yet to figure out how she was going to slip out to meet with Regina. First she had to wait. Rumplestiltskin had told her that he would signal her when the time was right for her to escape to his castle. She knew she was taking a risk in making a deal with him, but she felt like she had no choice if she was to be with Regina.

She had heard many stories about how once he made a deal he was beholden to see it done. She had also heard how many of those deals backfired on the one who made it. The odd thing was, he hadn't actually asked her for anything – not exactly. In exchange for his help he had simply asked her permission to ask something of Regina. He said it would be Regina's free will in how she chose to answer him. Emma couldn't think of anyway that this might be a trick. The Dark One had given her a day to think of the deal and in the end she had agreed to it. She trusted Regina and knew whatever the Dark One wanted to ask Regina, Regina would give an answer that was true.

Still, she didn't like the idea of Regina being there. She knew Regina was probably scared and she could only hope that Regina understood that Emma had done this so they could be together.

….

A knock on the door startled Regina.

"Regina, It's me Belle. I came to get you for breakfast."

Regina opened the door.

"Didn't you sleep?" Belle asked as soon as she saw Regina.

"I couldn't," Regina said.

"You are safe here."

Regina didn't say anything. She had been up all night, afraid to close her eyes, afraid to do anything.

"Are you at least hungry? You must be since you didn't eat anything yesterday."

Regina nodded. She was starving, and her desire to eat was outweighing her fear of eating anything in this castle. She followed Belle down to the same room where she had met the Dark One the day before. Thankfully, he wasn't there.

She sat down and Belle brought her some food to eat.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Regina asked her.

Belle gave her a smile. "I already ate, but I will keep you company for a little while if want."

"Please."

Belle sat down across from her, giving her another smile. Regina liked Belle's smile, it was a kind, gentle smile that made Regina feel a little more at ease.

"Have you been here long?" Regina asked her.

"Almost a year."

"What do you do here?"

"I maintain the household for him."

There was no question as so who "he" was.

"Are the stories true about him?"

"You aren't in any danger here," Belle said. "He told me has no intention of harming you. I believe him."

That was of little comfort to Regina. She was almost done with her meal when the Dark One entered. Belle immediately stood up from the table.

"Good morning Regina," Rumple said. "Are you ready for your first lesson?"

"What lesson?"

"Your first magic lesson of course."

"Magic lesson? I don't understand."

"Yes, I am beginning to see that. I take it your mother never told you that you have the ability to do magic. I am not surprised. Your mother also had potential but then she chose to give it all up in order to get married. But hey, you were the result of that so I could be patient."

"How do you know my mother?"

"We are old friends you could say."

She found it hard to believe that her mother could have known the Dark One. Under what circumstances could her mom possibly have ever encountered him, much less been friends with him, she wondered. And magic? Her mom didn't know magic and she certainly didn't.

"Well are you ready?" he asked.

"I don't know any magic. I think you may have mistaken me for someone else."

He laughed at her, and she found the sound of it unnerving.

"Believe me Regina, I have not mistaken you for anyone else. You are the daughter of Cora Mills, a woman who could have been an amazingly powerful witch. You Regina, you have the ability to just as powerful as she is, more powerful. And in the end that power will only be beneficial to you and Emma."

"How so?"

"Under my guidance and tutelage, you can be taught magic that will help you and Emma go some place where you can be together. That is the deal I made with the princess, that I would help in this matter and phase one is complete. Phase two is you learning magic."

Regina thought about this. She knew from the stories that the Dark One would make deals with people, but usually those didn't turn out well.

"What did Emma give you in return for this deal?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Well technically, she allowed me the opportunity to ask something of you, but I am not ready to ask it yet. Don't worry, I am simply going to ask you something, how you choose to answer is entirely on your own and will have no affect on the deal I made with Emma. If I learned one thing from your mother, it's that women seem to like to have their free will. In the meantime, since you have to wait here why don't we get on with that lesson."

"What if I don't want to learn magic? What if I want to leave here and go home?"

"You ask a lot of questions," he sighed. "As for your last question, if you wish to leave, then leave. I am not holding you here against your will. I am merely providing you a place to be until your beloved comes. If you choose to go, then I will have Belle show you to the gate. Enjoy the walk home."

Regina knew she couldn't walk home. She didn't really know exactly where the castle was in relation to her home. She knew Emma had done this because she thought this was a way they could be together, but she wished Emma would have spoken to her first.

Since she hadn't, Regina was going to have to make the best of the situation until she could figure out what to do.

"Ok," she said. "I don't know that you have the right the person still. I have never done magic and my mother has certainly never mentioned that she could do it. I guess a lesson wouldn't hurt one way or another."

He laughed again, "That's the spirit. Now let's go outside, we want to make sure you don't catch the drapes on fire after all."


	7. Chapter 7

Regina fell onto the bed that night exhausted. Somehow when the Dark One said he was going to teach her some magic she thought it would be one unsuccessful lesson and then it would be over. Instead it was one unsuccessful lesson after another, but he wouldn't let up on her.

At first he started out almost kind. But that changed as she failed again and again. Despite her protests that she couldn't do it because he was mistaken about her having magic, he kept pushing her. In the end it was him pushing her that made her get angry. He was yelling at her at this point and then it happened – a little fireball formed in her hand. She was so shocked that it was gone in seconds, but it had been there.

And when she looked up at the Dark One, he was smiling at her.

She didn't like the way he was smiling at her, like he knew a secret that she didn't. It made her uncomfortable.

He told her that it was her anger that helped her do the magic; that it was about emotion and once she could repeat the action it would begin to be easier for her. He said soon, she would be able to do the magic without drawing so much emotion into it.

They had worked throughout the day but she was only able to do make a fireball about five times. They had worked through meals; Belle bringing them food and drink but he kept on about the magic throughout.

Knowing she could do magic made her feel conflicted. He had said that her mother could do magic; that she had great potential and while Regina had not believed him, she had no choice but to consider the possibility now.

She could understand if her mother would keep it a secret. Being a magic user wasn't exactly a premier kind of standing to have, especially in court life. Still, Regina wondered how young her mother had been when she apparently came in contact with the Dark One. Was it like this, she wondered. Had the Dark One taught her like this?

The thing was, the entire time she had been concentrating on the magic lesson, she hadn't once thought of Emma.

Now as she lay in bed she thought about her.

She thought of those stolen moments at court, or in their special hiding place. She thought about those lazy afternoons when she would sit there beside Emma, leaning against her. That is all they had wanted. They wanted to be free to love each other.

She imagined what it would be like to be able to kiss Emma's lips, to hold her in her arms and she wondered when exactly she would be able to.

As she drifted off to sleep Emma was the only thing on her mind.

…

For the second morning in a row Emma was woken by one of her handmaidens because she slept late. She hadn't slept well again. She had laid in bed that night thinking about Regina, wishing Regina was there with her.

Emma finished getting dressed and ate breakfast in her chambers. She had no desire to be around other people. In the last week she had become more withdrawn, refusing to go to court or speak with any of the suitors who had stopped by to check on her well being.

The night before she and her mother had gotten into a fight when her mother had demanded she go to court. And Emma had said things she knew she shouldn't have.

_"You have to attend. It's not good for your image to continue to skip it," Snow said._

_"I don't care about my image or how it reflects on you."_

_"Emma, I know you are concerned about Regina …"_

_"I am not just concerned about her. You don't even understand how much she means to me."_

_"She's your friend, I understand that."_

_"No, she isn't just my friend. I am in love with her."_

_The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Her mother took a step away from her after she had said it._

_"I had forbidden you to see her before, did you disobey me?" Snow said with an edge in her voice that Emma had never heard directed at her. She had heard it before when her mother spoke to others who had disappointed or angered her._

_"Yes."_

_"I assume you did this in secret and she was agreeable to it."_

_Emma didn't like the tone at all. "Yes, I met her in secret."_

_Snow walked further away from her. "I should have known Cora's daughter would be capable of something like that. And I like a fool brought her here to be friends with you so she could help you choose a suitor."_

_"You what?"_

_"I can guess that this 'disappearance' on her part is just another of her manipulations."_

_"What? No. It's not like that," Emma said. "I love her and she loves me. I don't want to marry one of these men you have propped as a suitable companion for me. I don't need you to choose a spouse for me; I've already chosen who I want to be with and that is Regina."_

_"That will never happen," Snow said. "I suggest you think very carefully about your future."_

Snow had bolted her from her room and Emma had been up all night fretting over what had happened. She hadn't meant to tell her mom the truth, but she wasn't thinking straight. She had become increasingly nervous because she had not gotten any word from Rumplestiltskin and it was coming up on a month since Regina had gone.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Come in."

She stood as her mother entered.

"Good, you are dressed. Come with me."

Emma followed her mother out, wondering what this was all about and knowing it couldn't be anything good. They went to Snow's private study and her mother picked up a piece of paper from the desk and handed it to her.

"What's this?" Emma asked after reading it.

"I would think that would be obvious from reading it, but it's the invitation to the ball we will hold here in three months time. Even now that letter is being copied so it can be sent across the kingdom for those who are invited. At that ball we shall be announcing your impending marriage to Killian Jones."

"You can't do this."

"I can and I will. You have left me little choice. Riders will be sent out to deliver these by the week's end. I have also recalled the soldiers who were out looking for Regina. I have no doubt she is safe somewhere and this was nothing more than a ploy on her part. You should thank me for pulling you out of whatever plan she had for you before it was too late."

"I will not go along with this. You can't force me to marry him."

"Again, you are wrong. I can. You can fight me on this if you want, but it will still come to pass."

"No it won't," Emma said walking out.

…

Regina levitated the bucket of water while using more magic to keep an arrow that was fired at her frozen in the air.

"Hold it for 10 more seconds," the Dark One said as she circled her.

She could feel the strain of keeping the magic going as he counted down. As soon as he said zero she used the magic to lower the bucket and the arrow so it fell harmlessly to the ground.

"Not bad," he said. "Not bad at all. You've come a long way in a short amount of time."

She had to agree with him. She had been here a month and in that time she had learned much about this magic inside of her.

"I have a treat for you today. A new lesson," he said.

"You have a new lesson every day for me," she replied.

"Come with me," he said. She followed him back into the castle. They went up to a tower and in it was a giant pool of water.

"What is this?" she asked, standing at the edge of it.

"This will allow you to look across great distances, to see anything, or in your case anyone you want. You won't be able to hear them but you will be able to see them."

"Emma," she said.

"Yes Emma and your parents if you wish."

"Of course my parents too. How does it work?"

"Let me show you," he said.

He went through the magical words she would need to master and spoke to her about clearing her mind to concentrate on seeing what she wished to see.

Like most lessons it took her more than one try to get it to work. The magic had become easier for her but she was by no means an expert. When it worked though the pool began to shimmer and then there was an image of Emma. She was sitting in the garden, the place where they had first met and a smile came across her face.

"She's so beautiful," Regina said out loud, not caring that Rumple was still there in the room with her. She wanted to reach out and touch her, but she knew that was foolish as she was only looking at an image of her.

She watched as Emma stood and smiled. She watched as another person came into view and took Emma's hand, sitting down beside her on the stone bench. Regina had only seen this man maybe once, but she recognized him as one of Emma's suitors, Killian Jones.

Emma was smiling at him like she once smiled at Regina. She watched as Emma laughed at something he said. When she saw Emma kiss him, she backed away from the pool, her magic wavering and the image disappearing before she ran from the room.

Rumplestiltskin looked down at the water and smiled.


	8. Chapter 8

Belle brought a tray of food into Regina's chamber although she doubted the young woman would eat it. Still, she needed to try.

She had seen Regina run to her room with tears streaming down her face – but that was three days ago and Regina hadn't left the room since. Belle had asked Rumple immediately what was wrong, but all he said was that Regina had saw something that had upset her. He also told her it was none of her concern.

But Belle couldn't help but be concerned. She liked Regina and didn't like seeing her upset. Last night she got a sobbing story out of Regina about how she had used magic to see Emma and witnessed her kissing another. Belle was familiar with Emma as she was one of Regina's favorite topics to speak about, so Belle was surprised by this. She had thought that Emma had indeed loved Regina as Regina loved her.

She tried to reassure Regina that she must have been mistaken in what she had seen, but Regina was too upset to listen to anything.

Belle was at least hopeful that she could get Regina to eat something today.

She placed the tray down in the ante chamber and knocked on the door to Regina's room. There was no answer and Belle wasn't surprised by that. She entered quietly to find Regina standing near the window, her arms crossed, looking out on a view that showed nothing but the castle and the woods around it.

"Regina," Belle said, but Regina didn't move or acknowledge her presence. "Regina, I brought you something to eat."

"Thank you. I am not hungry." Regina said it with completely flat, unemotional tone. She still didn't move and Belle studied her for a moment. This was the first time she had even seen Regina out of bed in three days and the first time she wasn't crying.

"You need to have something, you haven't eaten in days," Belle said. "It's just a bit of soup and some toast."

"I wish to be left alone."

Again that same tone.

Belle considered arguing with her; instead she turned and left. She picked up the tray knowing Regina wouldn't eat from it if she had left it there. She went back down the stairs, dropping off the food in the kitchen. Rumple had been almost as closed off as Regina had been over the last few days. She never really knew what kind of mood she would find him in, but she felt she had no choice but to speak to him about Regina.

She entered the room where he spent most of his time and found him sitting behind his desk – where she had left him hours before when she brought him a tea.

Like Regina, he didn't acknowledge her presence.

While she let Regina get away with that, she wasn't about to take it from him.

"Regina still won't eat," she said standing in front of the desk. "You have to do something."

"What would you have me do, force feed her?" he said dismissively.

"No, but perhaps you could let her go so she may go see Emma in person and speak to her about what she saw."

If Rumple thought it was odd that Belle knew about it, he gave no sign of it. "And what would that accomplish exactly?" he asked.

"She's heartbroken over what she thought she saw."

He finally looked up at her. "Let's say I release her and she rides to the White kingdom to speak to Emma and Emma confirms that she is yes in love with this guy. Will she be any less heartbroken? Then there is the fact that Queen Snow would most likely throw Regina in the darkest cell she could find or take steps against Regina's family. Would these be good things for her? No. The best thing for her is to stay here and get over it."

"She loves Emma. It's not something she is just going to get over."

"She will with time," he said directing his attention back to his desk.

"Did you know?"

"Did I know what?"  
"Did you know Regina would see something like that?" she demanded.

He again looked up at her. "It's best she learn now that the princess doesn't care for her."

"I don't believe that. Why would Emma go through all this trouble if not to be with Regina?"

"You have to admit this was a fairly effective way of getting Regina out of the picture. Now the princess can be with who she wants and not have to worry about her mother finding out about her momentary dalliance with our Regina."

Belle backed away as Rumple again looked away from her. Could it be true, she wondered. Could Emma have done this as a way to get rid of Regina?

No, Belle thought. While she didn't know Emma, she saw how much in love Regina was with her and Belle refused to believe Emma could merely cast Regina aside.

…

Regina had no choice but to leave her room the next day as the Dark One simply teleported her downstairs.

"I do hope you are done moping about," he said to her. "You still have much to learn."

She felt her anger rising up in her immediately. "I will not take any more lessons from you," she said and she turned to exit the room. She got to the doors which swung shut in front of her. She tried to push them open but they remained closed.

"If you wish to leave the room, use your magic to open the doors," he said to her.

"No," she said. "Don't you understand? I don't want to learn any more magic. I don't want to know how to do these things? If I hadn't have done magic…"

She trailed off, her anger subsiding a little.

"Do you think you are upset because of magic? Don't you see that your magic has helped you see things as they really are? You should be thankful for this power."

"Thankful," she said turning to face him, her anger again spiking. "Tell me Dark One, what has magic gotten you? Are you happy? Does it make you happy? Does it warm your heart? Does it make you smile? Do you know what it is like to look into the eyes of the one you love and see that love shining back at you? Can magic give you that feeling?"

"It can not," he said. "But can Emma ever give you that feeling ever again after what you have seen?"

The anger transformed into pure rage at the mention of Emma's name and Regina turned from him, the magic unleashing from her fingertips and slamming against the doors. Both swung open and one was hanging on by one small hinge from the force of it.

Regina looked down at her hand, not quite believing that she had just done that. It hadn't even been a conscious thought. All she had felt was an overwhelming anger and the need to direct it somewhere.

She heard Rumple clapping and she turned back to face him.

"There are things magic can't do," he said. "But one thing it can do is make you so powerful that nothing can ever hurt you again."

She looked at her hand once more and then back to him.

"I want to learn," she said.

…

By now Emma knew she had made a grave mistake.

The ball and the announcement of her engagement were only a month away. She had essentially been held captive at the castle by her mother who would not let her travel outside its walls without armed escorts that wouldn't let her out of their sight.

And worst of all she had heard nothing from Rumplestiltskin about Regina.

She had no idea if Regina was safe, or if the Dark One had done something to her. She had begged her mother to resume the search for Regina. She hadn't told her mother the truth of what she knew about Regina's whereabouts, but she had hoped maybe a search party would learn something of her.

Her mother had of course refused.

As each day passed Emma became more despondent and at times she would be near catatonic with worry.

She had appealed to her father, but he would not listen to her either.

While no one in court knew of Emma's and Regina's relationship, Emma had heard the rumor going around that Regina had planned her disappearance to run away with some ill-advised lover. Emma could guess that her mother was probably the source of such a rumor.

Still it seemed to be enough to keep Regina's mother from attending court.

Emma wished she could talk to Cora, perhaps even tell her the truth because maybe Regina's family could do something where Emma couldn't.

Her constant thought was how this wasn't how it was supposed to be. She was supposed to be with Regina by now. They were supposed to be somewhere safe. The Dark One had made a deal with her – a deal which was supposed to allow Regina and her to be together.

She was sitting in the garden, the place where she first met Regina when she heard someone clear their throat. She turned to see Daniel standing there.

"Am I interrupting?" he asked.

"I am not really in the mood for company," Emma said.

Daniel still approached her slowly. "You never seem to be in the mood for company as of late."

He took a seat on the bench next to her. Neither said a word for several minutes.

"You are in love with her, aren't you?" he said finally.

Emma couldn't hide the shock in her expression but then turned her face away from him. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Regina. I am talking about Regina," he said. "You haven't been the same since her disappearance."

"She's a friend, naturally I would be worried."

"This isn't just worry Emma. This is heartbreak," he said. "It took me a while to realize it. I thought you were just upset because you were friends, but this isn't about friendship. You are in love with her."

She didn't say anything but she leaned up against him and he put an arm around her.

"Why did your mom call off the search?" he asked.

"Because she knows. She knows about me and Regina. I let it slip and … and now she's trying to ensure I never have any contact with Regina ever again. She's forcing me to marry Killian. She's going to make the announcement at the ball."

"Yes, the prevailing rumor around court was that it would be Killian," Daniel said. "I was supposed to dance with Regina at the ball. I had asked her."

"I am sorry," Emma said, sitting upright again. She had forgotten momentarily that Daniel was her "competition" for Regina. "I know you have feelings for her."

"I do. I won't deny that. Regina was my first crush. From the first time I saw her, I thought I am going to grow up and one day she's going to look me like I am some sort of gallant knight who would slay dragons for her. But that's not going to happen," he said with resignation in his voice. "She loves you too, doesn't she?"

Emma merely nodded.

"Well it seems to me that since we both have feelings for our Lady Regina, that we must do something to find her."

Emma started to cry, burying her face in her hands even as she felt Daniel put a comforting hand on her back.

"We will find her," he reassured her.

She looked at him. "You don't understand. I know where she is at."


	9. Chapter 9

Regina barely registered it when Belle brought in a tray of food and laid it on the desk next to her. She was bent over a spell book reading it with intensity. Belle cleared her throat to get her attention. Regina looked up at her.

"You skipped lunch, at least have some dinner," Belle said.

"Thank you," Regina said sliding the book away from her and bringing the tray in front of her. Belle took a seat in a chair next to the desk.

"What are you learning today?" Belle asked.

"Traveling spell," Regina said before taking a bite of her dinner – several in fact. Belle remained silent as Regina ate. She was still worried about Regina. First it was her depression over seeing Emma kiss that man, but now Regina was devoting all her time to learning magic. She was obsessive about it – going as far as to even wake Rumplestiltskin at all hours of the night if she had a question or wanted to show him some new skill she mastered.

She was either with Rumplestiltskin learning from him directly or up here in her room pouring over spell books. From what Belle could tell – and she was certainly no expert – but Regina was picking up the magic quickly and she appeared to be quite powerful. Belle didn't like seeing Rumple look at Regina as if he had discovered some new toy to play with.

"A traveling spell," Belle said after she had given Regina time to eat at least part of her food. "Are you planning on traveling somewhere?"

"No. I have no place to be but here."

"But with that spell you could go somewhere, right? Maybe go visit your family?"

"I can't really afford to take time from my studies," Regina said as she slid the tray away signaling that she was done with the food and most likely with the conversation. Belle stood and retrieved the tray.

"Have you thought about using that spell to visit Emma?" Belle asked.

Regina looked away from her. "I have no wish to see her."

"Regina …"

"I have to get back to my studying. Thank you for the food."

Belle knew that was Regina's way of dismissing her so she reluctantly left. Once Belle was gone Regina slid the book back in front of her. The spell was one that she was sure she could do, but she hadn't yet tried it. Despite the Dark One's instruction that her magic was instinctual, Regina preferred to learn a spell, study it and practice it. He didn't always give her to the time for such things so she spent her free time doing it.

She hadn't exactly answered Belle's question because the truth was, she had thought about using it to go see Emma. She didn't know what she would do if she saw Emma though – not after seeing her share a kiss with him. She tried to block the vision of it from her mind, but there wasn't a day that had passed since then that she hadn't thought about it. It kept replaying in her mind if she didn't keep her brain occupied, which was part of the reason why she used her free time to continue to study magic.

What would she even say to Emma if she saw her? She was afraid of the answer Emma might give if she asked her if she ever really loved her.

In those first couple of days after seeing Emma share a kiss with Killian, she really did think she was going to die. Before that she never thought it was possible for a person's heart to actually break, but that is exactly how it felt to her. Her heart remained broken even now and she didn't believe anything would ever make it whole again – not even the magic she had now dedicated herself to. Rumple had told her that with magic she could become strong enough that no one would ever hurt her again and she wanted that. She wanted to never feel pain like that ever again.

While thinking about Emma and that kiss made her sad, now it also made her angry. It had been Emma's idea for her to be brought here to the Dark One and he had told Regina that he had not heard from Emma that entire time as he expected to. He said he believed it would only be weeks before Emma came for her and at that time he would teach Regina a spell that would take them somewhere that they would not have to worry about their titles, their statuses, and they could be together. Regina had no idea what kind of spell it was, and she doubted she would have the ability to cast something too powerful because she was still just a novice.

But he had assured her that this was a spell she was born to cast and it would be easy for her when the time came.

She had asked him about the deal he made with Emma and what it was that he was supposed to be asking her. When she brought it up the first few times he merely dismissed it as if it wasn't important. Earlier today she had again asked him about it. She told him he that she needed to know – and she did. She needed to know what was so important for him to ask her that he would make a deal with Emma in the first place. She was looking for a reason, any reason not to believe him – she realized this. She wanted an excuse to be able to say that he had cheated on the deal or that this was some sort of set up.

When she made it clear that she wanted to know, she was surprised when he took a seat on a bench where they had been practicing in the courtyard. She remained standing as he began to speak. He told her that he wasn't always the Dark One and that he had come upon this power and because of it he lost his son. The question he wanted to ask her was if she would help him find his son.

Of course she asked how she could possibly help – after all he was the Dark One and his power was limitless or so she thought.

He confessed to her that his power was not limitless and he needed someone who could wield magic to open a gateway to the place where his son was now at. He said he had been waiting a long time for someone like Regina to come along, someone who had innate magical talent, but also a power that could light the heavens on fire.

He told her that it was the question he had once asked her mother, but her mother had refused.

"Why? Why would she not help you find your son?" she had asked.

"I knew your mother when she was younger, much like you. This was before she married your father. I am sure you know that your mother and Queen Snow do not get along."

"I do, but I do not know why."

"They were actually friends once upon a time if you can believe it. When Snow was princess; Cora was one of those in a close circle of friends. Has your mother ever mentioned your uncle to you?"

"Just once," Regina said. And it had just been the one time. When she was younger she found her mother in their garden and she was sad so Regina picked some flowers for her to cheer her up. When Regina asked her why she had been crying, Cora had said that she was crying because she missed her brother who had died long ago. Regina didn't even know what his name was and Cora had never mentioned him again.

"He was older than your mother by a few years. This was during the time of the ogre wars. Your uncle was a young, but promising knight. He volunteered to go to war but Cora didn't want him to go. She asked Snow to request to her father that he not be sent to the frontlines. Snow of course wanted to do what she could for her friend, but that's not what happened. Your uncle was killed in that war and Cora blamed Snow for allowing it to happen. That is why your mother and her do not get along."

"What does this have to do with my mother not helping you?"

"After her falling out with Snow, Cora was distraught by the death of her brother and she sought direction in her life I guess would be the best way to put it. She had the ability to do magic and decided she wanted to learn more. That is how I know your mother – she came to me to learn. I made no secret that I wished to train her so that she might return the favor and help me find my Bae. Then your mother met your father, she fell in love and well that was the end of her magical education. She wanted nothing more to do with it and refused to continue her studies and thus refused to help me."

Regina considered this. She always knew there was a reason for the animosity between her mother and Queen Snow, but she would never have guessed it had something to do with her uncle whom who mother obviously mourned to the point she never even wanted to speak of him.

"This gateway you want me to open to this place where your son is, how much longer will it be before I can do that kind of magic?" she asked.

"Not long," he said. "Not long."

….

Daniel wasn't sure what kind of reception he should expect from Duke Mills and his wife. After speaking with Emma, they decided that Regina's parents at least needed to be told the truth. It was Emma's hope that Regina's parents could retrieve Regina from the Dark One. Daniel was not as optimistic. When Emma had told him what she had done in making a deal with that devilish creature, Daniel wanted nothing more than to yell at her for her stupidity. Indeed he had stood up and paced a bit to calm down so he didn't blow up at her.

He could tell from the look on Emma's face that she regretted her actions and was truly concerned for what might have happened to Regina at the Dark One's hands.

Emma had to convince him not to ride out to the Dark One's own castle and demand Regina's release. The problem was that no one knew exactly where the Dark One's lair was. They knew the general area it was located but the land was protected by the Dark One's magic which made finding it near impossible. That didn't matter to Daniel as he was willing to try, but Emma got him to settle down before he left on such a fool's errand.

He wasn't sure that he wasn't on a fool's errand by coming to the Ander province to speak to Regina's parents. He had met both of them of course, but that didn't mean he knew anything about how they might react to this. He also had no idea what if anything they could do about it.

Emma said she didn't care if they showed up on her doorstep demanding action from the crown because that might actually make her parents do something to help find Regina. She told him to tell them the truth because at this point she didn't care if the truth came out. She didn't care if people knew she had fallen in love with Regina and that she was the only one she wanted to marry. She didn't care if it was scandalous or not – she just wanted Regina back safely.

Daniel arrived and had to wait as he made the request to speak to the Duke and his wife in private. He as shown to a room while the messenger went to relay his request. He was in there for what felt like a long time before the door opened and the Duchess came in.

"Duchess Mills," he said bowing. "Thank you for agreeing to see me."

"The messenger said you have news about Regina. My husband is out right now and will not be back until this evening. What is this news?"

"I know where Regina is at."

"Where?" she said approaching him. "Where is my daughter? Is she safe?"

"She is far from safe. Perhaps you should sit down while I explain."

"I do not wish to sit, I wish to know where my daughter is."

"Regina is being held by the Dark One," he said simply.

This time Cora did take a seat. She looked up at Daniel. "How is this possible? How do you even know this to be true?"

Daniel told her what Emma had told him – about how she and Regina had fallen in love, how they had seen each other in secret, and their plan to run away together. He told her that Regina had backed out of the plan to run away because she feared what affect it would have on her family whom she wanted to protect. Then he told her of Emma's deal with the Dark One.

Throughout Cora remained silent and continued to hold her tongue even as he finished telling her all of this. She did stand though and walk over to the window looking out of it.

"I do not know what to do in order to get Regina back," he said finally. "But whatever is needed I shall do it."

Cora turned to look at him, as if considering who he was and why he was there for the first time.

"Good," she said. "Because I need you to accompany me."

"Where to?"

"That Dark One's castle."

"But no one knows where it is exactly. It's said that it moves from place to place within his realm."

"Those are but stories," she said. "The secret to his castle is that in order to find it, you must have been there once already."

"How does that help us find it?"

"I've been there before," she said with a hint of resignation. "I am afraid the princess has been duped. This was never about the Dark One helping her and Regina find a place to be together. This was about my daughter all along."

"About Regina?"

"We must leave immediately to get to his castle," she said getting to the door. "And pray we aren't too late."


	10. Chapter 10

With a puff of smoke Regina appeared inside the kitchen, startling Belle and nearly causing her to drop the loaves of bread she held

"Traveling spell?" Belle asked.

"Yes," Regina smiled. "I literally have the power to go anywhere now."

"And where do you want to go?" Belle asked. She saw the smile disappear from Regina's face quickly.

"No where. I am content to be here and work on my magic," she said.

"Well I know I would miss you if you left," Belle smiled.

"You don't have to worry about that," Regina said snatching a piece of bread from the tray. "I am not going anywhere until I master all the magic I can."

With a wave of her hand, Regina poofed away. Belle would indeed miss Regina if she did leave. Even though Regina spent most of her spare time studying, she still made time to sit and talk with Belle and that meant a lot to her. It felt good to have a friend, even one she worried about as much as Regina. She knew Regina was not over the hurt caused by Emma's betrayal and the more powerful she became with magic the more Belle wondered what she intended to do with that magic once she mastered it.

She shook the thought from her mind. Regina was a good person who ended up in a bad situation but it didn't mean she would do anything bad.

In fact Regina had been more cheerful these last couple of days. She had been eating her meals – well most of them – and Belle had seen her smile a few more times than she had been.

Regina had told her all about her uncle and how it caused a rift between her mother and Queen Snow. She started to tell her about what Rumple wanted from her but stopped until Belle assured that she knew about his search for his son. She admitted she didn't know all the details but she did know that he missed his son very much.

As much as Belle would miss Regina when she eventually left she couldn't help but wish Regina would leave in order to clear things up with Emma. She still didn't believe that Emma could be that intentionally cruel. No, she didn't know Emma, but she knew Regina's love for Emma which is why she found it unbelievable. If it wasn't the truth though, what was?

She didn't want to think about the one thing that had crept into her mind during all this – that Rumple could have something to do with it.

She wasn't naïve, she knew he was the Dark One, but she also knew he was capable of kindness, of humanity, and for those reasons she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Still, Regina needed to talk to Emma, find out for herself if Emma's love for her was real.

….

Once she had mastered the traveling spell, Regina had moved on to more magic. She was studying one of the spell books at her desk in her room when a noise in the courtyard caught her attention. It was well after midnight which is why she let it take her attention from her studies. She moved closer to the window and looked down. Several horses and riders had galloped into the courtyard. She recognized some of the Rumple's men, the same ones who escorted her here.

But she also recognized who they had with them now.

Rushing out of the room, having never changed into bedclothes she was suitably dressed, she ran down the stairs and into the courtyard where the Dark One was facing his newest guests.

"Regina!" Cora said running forward and hugging her daughter.

"Mother?" Regina asked in confusion and then looked up at the other rider who had been with her. "Daniel?"

"Are you unharmed?" Daniel asked, coming up to stand next to her mother. "Has he hurt you in anyway?"

Regina glanced over at Rumplestiltskin who looked like he was bored.

"What? No," Regina said shaking her head. "I am perfectly well. What are you doing here?"

"Once Daniel told me you were a captive of him, I came at once. We have ridden from our homestead with nary a stop to get here," Cora said. She turned to Rumplestiltskin. "Release my daughter."

Rumplestiltskin made an exaggerated yawn. "I assume you will be staying the night; I will have beds made up for you."

He turned to leave. "We aren't staying. I am taking my daughter and leaving now," Cora said grabbing Regina's wrist.

Regina pulled away. "I am not going anywhere," she said. "I am not his captive. I am here by my own choice." It wasn't entirely true given the circumstances by which she ended up here, but she didn't see any reason to explain that to her mother. Although she had to wonder how Daniel knew she was here, and the only reason she could come up with was Emma.

"What have you done to my daughter?" Cora demanded.

"Seriously, I am going to have beds made up for you and your young companion there. If you choose to leave you are free to do just as you always have been Cora. Or you can sleep in the stables with your horses if staying under my roof is that distasteful to you. As for Regina, as she has pointed out she is not my captive. She too is free to leave whenever," he said. The entire time he was grinning.

This time he did actually go inside.

"Take their horses to the stable," Regina ordered the stable hands. "You two look like you could use a rest so why don't you take the offered hospitality of your host. We can speak in the morning."

"Regina," Cora said. "Tell me he hasn't asked you do any magic."

Regina laughed and she called up a fireball into her hand. Cora watched as the fire light lit up her daughter's face and she saw the expression on Regina's face as she studied the ball of flames before extinguishing it.

"Like I said we can speak in the morning. Perhaps at that time you will explain why you never told me I had this power," she said.

She made her way inside and Daniel looked to Cora, who merely nodded her head to say they should follow. Once inside Cora saw Regina speaking to another young woman before returning to them. "Belle has made sure there are rooms available for you. She will see you to them. I will see you both at breakfast."

Belle directed both of them upstairs while Regina disappeared through another door.

"Where is my daughter's room?" Cora asked.

"On the floor above the one you will be in," Belle answered.

"Is it possible for me to be put on the same floor as her?" she asked.

Belle paused. "Sorry, but I think you should stay in the room that is being set aside for you. You will see Regina in the morning."

Cora knew it wasn't this woman's fault so she kept her anger in check. She didn't imagine she would be getting much sleep tonight being back in this castle. She needed to think about what to say to Regina in the morning as it was clear to her that the Dark One already had his hooks into her. She thought about the way Regina had looked at that fireball and she knew that once upon a time she too had that same look on her face – the look that said I have power now so watch out.

….

Emma was worried when Daniel hadn't returned to see her after going to the Mills estate. When a messenger arrived with a letter from him to her, she didn't feel any better about it. Daniel said he was accompanying Cora Mills to the Dark One's castle in order to get Regina back. She was not surprised Daniel would do something like this – he did after all have feelings for Regina and he was very brave, but she worried about him confronting the Dark One.

At the same time she had a bit of hope that he would succeed and bring Regina back. But even that hope was washed away because she didn't know if Regina would be happy to see her or not. It was her fault that Regina was even there. She shouldn't have made that deal with him but she was desperate for her and Regina to be together.

Even as the ball approached she had barely exchanged words with her mother unless it was necessary. Her father tried to talk to her about it, but she started to give him the silent treatment too. Why couldn't they see that she only wanted to be with the woman she loved? She didn't care about Regina's social standing or who her mother was; she only cared about being with her.

They were holding their ground though in forcing her into a marriage with Killian.

She had found Killian pleasant enough before but now that she was being forced into a relationship with him she found she couldn't stand being around him. It wasn't his fault, it was only that he wasn't Regina.

She had gone as far as telling Killian she didn't love him and never would because she loved another. He shrugged it off saying she would learn to love him in time.

She knew if Daniel returned without Regina or if anything had happened to Regina while she was a prisoner of the Dark One, she would never forgive herself.

It's just she didn't think he could break a deal and the deal had been that he would help her and Regina be together by sending them someplace where who they were and who their parents were wouldn't matter. They would be free to be together if that is what they wished, he had said. All he wanted was to ask Regina a question.

She should have pressed him more on what he wanted to ask Regina because she feared that it was at the heart of why he had not sent for her so she could rejoin her lady love.

Regina had been scared as the riders took her away and that look of fear and uncertainty was now etched in Emma's brain forever.

She swore to herself that if Daniel returned with Regina she would do whatever it took to be with her. She would renounce her title if that is what it would take. She wouldn't be forced into some marriage with Killian, she would tell the world that Regina was her love and she fully intended on marrying her. She should have stood up to her mother from the beginning and it would never have gotten this far.

She realized she had behaved very selfishly up to this point – asking Regina to run away when the risk would be solely on her and her family, making this deal with the Dark One – but she swore if she got another chance she would put Regina ahead of everything else.

…

Cora left her room early the next morning, but she didn't go upstairs to Regina's instead she went to where she knew she would find Rumplestiltskin – in his study.

"Good morning Cora, I hope you slept well," he said when she entered without bothering to knock.

"She is my daughter!" Cora said. "How dare you."

"How dare I what?"

"Don't play games with me. I am not someone who is afraid of you, or someone too young and innocent not to know the dangers you pose," she spat back. "You will release Regina today, this morning."

"As I said and she said last night, I am not holding her captive. She is here of her own free will," he said getting up from behind his desk and approaching her. "She has chosen to stay and learn from me. Perhaps if you had shared your talents with her, she wouldn't see the need to have me as her teacher."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are manipulating her. She is a child."

"Really because she seems like an adult to me, of marrying age if I am not mistaken. Don't worry, I am not in the market for a wife," he laughed.

"I know how you got her here, I know about the deal you made with Princess Emma. Yet where is your end of the bargain. It's said you can't break a deal yet I don't see you doing anything to bring Emma and Regina together."

"I didn't realize you were in favor of such a union," he smirked.

"I am not," she said. "But that is not the point so tell me what is your plan here?"

"My plan is to fulfill my end of the bargain of course."

"Tell me then, what exactly was the deal? How exactly did you word it because I know that you left a loophole in there and Emma being young and naïve and apparently love struck wouldn't have caught it," she said.

"Now, now Cora you of all people should know I don't go around telling the details of my deals," he said.

"Then I will ask Regina," she said turning.

"Tut, tut, tut," he said. "I haven't made any deals with Regina so what makes you think she has the answer you are looking for? My deal was with the Princess Emma, so she is the only one I have to fulfill my part of the bargain with."

"You are messing with the lives of two young girls, and for what?" Cora said. "If you think Regina is going to cast that spell – because you are a fool if you don't think I know that is why she here – then you are insane. I am taking my daughter home."

"If you had simply cast it all those years ago then perhaps your daughter wouldn't be here now."

"Have you even told her yet? Have you told her of this spell and what it really does?"

"Regina is extremely talented, perhaps even more so than you my dear Cora, because she wants it more. You turned your back on your gift so don't complain to me when your daughter who shares that gift wants to explore it."

"I didn't turn my back on anything. I fell in love. I chose love over a life where power was the only thing that mattered," she said. "Regina too is in love as misguided as that may be and the moment she is gone from this place she will gravitate to that love and not toward this twisted path you seek to put her on."

"Do you really think so?" he said.

"Yes, because true love is the strongest magic of them all," she said walking out.


	11. Chapter 11

Daniel heard Cora leave her room and he snuck out after her, surprised that she went down instead of up to see Regina. She had not been very forthcoming on their trip there about how she knew where the Dark One's castle was or what she feared would happen. About all he got out of her was that they had to get there before the Dark One convinced Regina to cast a curse. The knowledge that Regina had magic was startling to him which Cora apparently could tell as she did go on to explain that Regina was born with magic just as she was. Cora had said she never wanted Regina involved in magic so she never told her daughter that she had these skills.

Based on that demonstration last night Regina not only knew now, but she had also become at least some what skilled in it.

Daniel didn't understand what Regina was doing here in this castle. He didn't believe the Dark One or Regina when they had said Regina was not a prisoner. The Dark One was powerful and all he could think of was that he had Regina under a spell of some sort.

How else could he explain why she wouldn't have returned to Emma?

He supposed that Regina could be mad at Emma and would have every right to be based on her actions in all of this. They may be related but he hadn't forgiven Emma yet. He had been waiting to see if Regina was okay before he would even consider it.

He didn't want to think ill of her, but the truth was Emma had acted selfishly and if it weren't for her obvious love for Regina and the hurt she caused he would have told her that she didn't deserve Regina.

Once Cora had disappeared downstairs Daniel went up. He knocked on several doors before Regina answered it. She seemed surprised it was him at her door.

"Sorry to disturb you so early," he said after she continued to stand there saying nothing.

"It's okay," she said smiling at him. She took his hand and pulled him into her room. He noticed right away it was a big chamber with this sitting room before the bedroom. She gave him a hug he wasn't expecting but when she didn't remove herself quickly he wrapped his arms around her and breathed in the scent of her. For a moment he let himself forget why he was there.

"Regina," he said pulling away but keeping his hands on her upper arms. "We have to get you out of here."

This time she moved away from him. "What are you doing here with my mother?"

"We came to get you," he said.

"How did you even know I was here?"

"Emma."

He watched as she turned her back to him and put some more distance between them. He noticed the clinched fist that was at her side.

Regina turned finally, a forced smiled on her face. "I am sorry you came all this way, as I have no intention of leaving," she said. "As I said last night, I'm not a prisoner here."

"Then help me understand," he said coming toward her. "Is this about Emma? Are you angry at her for making this deal with the Dark One?"

"She told you about that?" she asked in surprise.

"Yes. She told me everything. She told me how you two had been seeing each other, and your plans to run away and finally about this ludicrous plan she came up with. That is why I am here," Daniel said. "I went to your parents after finding out and your mother brought me here with her to bring you back."

"I am not going back," she said more forcibly this time.

"Why not?" he pressed.

"Because I am not strong enough yet." She took a step back as she said it and Daniel wondered if that was indeed what she meant to say because she too seemed surprised she said it.

"Strong enough for what?" he asked softly.

Again he was treated with a forced smile. "Daniel I am fine here. I don't want to leave; I hope even if you don't understand it, you can at least respect it."

"I don't understand it and I can't respect it until I am sure it's coming from you alone," he said. "The Dark One is not to be trusted. Is there any story out there involving him that doesn't end in misery?"

"I am not an idiot," she said. "I know his reputation, and in my time here I have gotten to know him a little, know him for more than the stories told about him. He is teaching me magic, and yes he is doing it for his own reasons. I know this. He has told me why he wants me to learn magic."

"To cast some curse," Daniel said. "Your mother told me on the way here that he wants you to cast some curse."

"It's a spell," Regina said. "One I am not even ready to cast yet. He lost someone long ago, and he needs my help to find this person. I see nothing wrong with that. He wants to use me, so what, it's not like I am not getting something in return. I am learning things that will mean I won't have to rely on anyone else."

"Is that what you want, to not have to rely on anyone else?"

"Yes," she said. "If I don't rely on anyone but myself I don't have to deal with the disappointment when others fail."

"I don't understand what is going on here, but this isn't you," he said. "This is not the Regina I know."

"Maybe I am not. Maybe you never knew me," she said. "How could you when I didn't know myself. The person I was before was a fool, but I will not be her ever again."

"That is a shame because the Regina I knew before was someone I really liked, someone I loved and she was someone that Emma loved."

"Emma didn't love me. If you are looking for someone who is deceitful in all of this, look to her," Regina spat out.

"I don't agree with what Emma did in making a deal with the Dark One, but she does love you. She has been making herself sick with worry over your disappearance even though she knew where you were at."

"Exactly, she knows where I am at, yet you are the one standing here in front of me, not her. What does that tell you about her supposed love for me?"

"Emma knows I am here," Daniel said. "She wants, no needs to know that you are safe. She loves you and you must love her or you wouldn't have been wiling to risk everything to run away with her. You should be wanting to leave this instant."

Regina eyes narrowed giving Daniel a look he had never seen before on her face. "Come with me."

She led through the castle and into a room with a pool of water. She said some words that Daniel didn't know and the pool shimmered. He immediately recognized the castle where Emma lived. There was a lot of activity going on as preparations for the ball geared up.

"You see," Regina said. "Do you see them all preparing for the great ball? The one where they will announce Emma's engagement to Killian? Because that is what I see. I don't see Emma here. I don't see any attempt on her part to come get me. Say what you want about her loving me, but the first time I came up here to see her because it had been so long I found her in the garden, the garden where she and I first met, and she was kissing Killian. It wasn't some forced kiss or some peck on the cheek. She kissed him. She kissed him like she used to kiss me."

"I don't know about any of that. I can tell you that Emma is devastated right now. She doesn't want to marry Killian. She hates that her parents are forcing her into this," Daniel said. "Come home with us and you will see."

Regina sighed, "What is waiting for me if I return home? Do you think Emma is going to throw herself into my arms and tell her parents that I am who she wants to be with? If she had any intention of doing that she could have done it before she decided to put this plan into action. But she didn't. No, don't let the princess fool you, this deal, this was never anything more than to get me out of the way."

Daniel could hardly believe he was hearing this. None of this was how he had been expecting this to go. He thought if anything he would have to battle the Dark One to get Regina out of here, and he had been prepared to do it. But this resistance coming from Regina herself was not something he had been prepared to deal with.

They said nothing to each other and finally Daniel broke the silence. "Maybe we should go find your mother."

He was hoping that Cora could perhaps make Regina see reason, or determine if she was under some sort of spell.

…

Cora could tell there was tension between Daniel and Regina once they had sat down to the breakfast that Rumplestiltskin had provided. She figured the two must have spoken and from the look on both of their faces she could tell it didn't go well. She knew the young man had feelings for her daughter, and she was more than willing to encourage those feelings as they would make a good match and it would secure Regina's social standing.

But all of that was now changed.

She had thought this "friendship" between Regina and the princess was nothing more than a phase, but the consequences of it were now deadly. She needed to get Regina away from this place and now she wished the princess Emma was here instead of Daniel. Perhaps Emma would have had no issue in getting Regina to return with them.

She had to get Regina out of here. Even looking at her now, she seemed less like her daughter than ever before. There was a hardness to Regina, which wasn't there before.

It wasn't that her daughter was meek, but she was generally more reserved and cautious. It was surprising to her when she found out that she had formed a friendship with Emma as Regina had shown no interest in court and royalty despite Cora's insistence that she attend functions.

She always assumed that whatever marriage Regina ended up in, it would be her spouse who would be the dominant personality in it. What she saw from Regina last night had her second guessing that assessment. It appeared that Regina had found a confidence she hadn't previously shown and Cora suspected that mostly had to do with the magic. She remembered what it was like to feel that infusion of power. In the beginning of her own tutelage she had felt indestructible when she used the magic.

It was a great feeling and now Cora was going to have convince Regina that it wasn't what she thought it was. It would be an uphill battle – after all if someone had tried to convince her to give up magic at that time in her life she would have laughed at them and then showed them exactly what she could do with that power.

The meal was eaten in silence and once it was done, Cora stood. "Regina we must speak. Alone."

Regina glanced over at Rumplestilskin who merely nodded and then excused himself.

"Belle, would you be so kind as to perhaps give Daniel a small tour of the castle so I might speak to my mother?" Regina asked.

"Certainly," Belle said and she indicated that Daniel should follow her.

Once they were alone Cora sat back down. The two women stared at each other as if they were playing a game of chess between them and were assessing their next moves.

"You can't stay here," Cora said.

Regina smiled, a sly smile, as if to say "is that all you got?" to her mother.

"I know you don't want to listen to me right now. Believe it or not, I was once in your shoes, being here, learning from him."

"I know," Regina said. "He told me. As I told Daniel earlier, I am not naïve, I know that I wouldn't be here if Rumplestilskin was getting something out of it. I even know what he wants."

"If you believe that then you are naïve," Cora said.

"Why didn't you tell me about the magic?"

Despite knowing that Regina would be asking her this, Cora was still unprepared to answer it. "Did you know that Rumplestilskin can't break a deal once it is made?" Cora said. "Therefore whatever deal he made with Emma he has to fulfill and he told me as much this morning. It sort of begs the question of what exactly that deal was. He isn't known as a trickster for nothing. These deals are never what you think they are, so what do you know of the deal?"

Regina was silent.

"Be angry with me if you want, but I am not going to sit aside and let him manipulate my daughter," Cora continued. "Again if you think he isn't manipulating you then you are a fool Regina. I need you to tell me what the deal was so I can help you, help Emma."

"I don't want, nor do I need your help," she said standing. "It appears we have nothing else to speak of."

Regina walked to the door and Cora got to her feet and waved a couple of fingers and the door shut in front of Regina, who twirled around to face her mother, again with that smile on her face.

"Oh mother, don't start a fight unless you think you can finish it."

"Are you that secure in your magical abilities?" Cora asked. "If you are, open the doors."

Regina continued to stare her down but Cora watched as Regina raised her hand and waved it in front of her and the doors behind her opened. Cora gave her an appraising look.

"That was one of the first things I learned," Regina said. "Now if that is all you have in you, why don't you gather up Daniel and leave."

Regina turned her back on her mother and again walked toward the doors. This time not only closed them with her magic but as Regina turned Cora used her magic to push Regina against them, pinning them to her. She walked slowly over to her daughter who was struggling to get off the door.

"You want to know why I didn't tell you about the magic, this is exactly why," Cora said. "The magic changes you if you let it. I almost let it change me, but thankfully I met your father and I fell in love with him. If it weren't for him I shudder to think what I would have done with this power. Don't let it change who you are my daughter."

She released the magic and Regina moved off the door and Cora saw nothing but anger in Regina's daughter.

"Come home," Cora said, trying to soften her tone. "Nothing has happened that we can't fix. I will even put aside my opinions about Queen Snow and speak to her on your and Emma's behalf. That is how much you mean to me."

"Go home mother," Regina said. She turned and pushed the doors open with her hands and walked out of them to see Belle and Daniel standing in the foyer. "Take yourself and my mother from this place, now."

She began to walk up the stairs and then she stopped and looked down at all of them. "And Daniel if you would be so kind as to give a message to Emma," she said. "Tell her I will see her at the ball."


	12. Chapter 12

Emma sat on her throne looking out at the dancers, her eyes searching for only one person – Regina.

The nerves, which had been growing steadily since Daniel returned to tell her of speaking with Regina at the Dark One's castle, were now practically making her shake. When her attendant had told her Daniel was there to see her, she immediately allowed him in her chambers but from his expression she knew the news was not good. At first she thought he was going to tell her that something had befallen Regina and she felt her heart seize up.

He assured her that Regina was alive and well she had hugged him out of the relief she felt, but he didn't return the eager hug.

He asked her to sit down and then she listened as he told her what had happened. She felt herself getting sick when he said that Regina had shown him some magical pool of water that she claimed showed her kissing Killian in the gardens. Emma denied it frantically – the most kissing Killian and she had done was him kissing her hand and a couple times on the cheek.

She knew then that the Dark One had to be manipulating Regina in some way – making her believe these things. She saw skepticism in Daniel's eyes and assured him that she was in no way being romantic with Killian and if she could find a way to stop this engagement announcement from happening she would.

Whether he believed her or not, Daniel's focus remained on Regina and how to get her safely away from the Dark One.

Regina had said she would see Emma at the ball, and that statement hung heavy in the air now as Daniel told her it sounded more like a threat than something to be reassured about.

She cursed her mother again in her mind, not only for the ball itself and what it represented, but for the fact it was a masquerade ball so everyone was wearing some sort of mask. It was making it harder for her to find Regina, if in fact she was even there.

Regina's parents were there somewhere as she had seen Cora earlier. She wondered if they too had come in order to find Regina, or if like most nobility they were there for the big announcement. She was surprised to find out from Daniel that Cora had some knowledge of the Dark One. Yet Cora had tried to get Regina to return with them.

Daniel had described Regina as changed and Emma hated that she had put Regina in this position. Despite Daniel's assessment Emma knew that if she could see Regina, meet with her face to face, she could clear this up. She could make Regina see that she was the only one she loved, or would ever love.

She just needed the chance.

…

The moment Regina walked into the ballroom – her disguise firmly in place – her eyes went up to the thrones and to where Emma sat. A part of her wanted to rush up there, to throw her mask down and bring Emma into her arms, but she tampered down that desire. She had resigned herself to what fate had clearly designed for her – a life without love. For she knew she wouldn't love anyone else ever. Emma was the only one for her, and the only one she could never have.

It wasn't the first time she had that thought but it used to be because of Emma's station in life and the fact her mother would never allow them to be together. But now she knew it was because of Emma.

Her heart had been broken when she had seen Emma kissing Killian and yet inside her chest it kept beating and kept causing her pain.

Standing near Emma was Killian – the man who had apparently won Emma's heart and the man who tonight would become engaged to her. Although she didn't know Killian, she couldn't help but feel hatred toward him for being the one Emma loved.

She saw Emma looking around the ballroom and she wondered if Emma was looking for her. She wondered if Emma ever cared about her or if she was simply some distraction for Emma to escape court life or perhaps she had pursued a relationship with her because Emma knew it would irk her mother.

There were so many questions turning around and around in her mind.

Regina was aware of her parents' presence there, but her mother at least had not seen through her disguise either. She hated that her mother had bested her there in the Dark One's castle. Still, it served as a lesson to her that she wasn't yet strong enough. She vowed she would be though. All of her time now was devoted to her lessons – not that they weren't before, but now she studied with specific purposes in mind. It wasn't enough now for her to master her magic, she needed to be able to use it in a way to help herself.

The spell that cloaked her now was an example of one of the latest ones she had learned. It allowed her to appear differently – at least to anyone looking at her – even though she hadn't actually changed her appearance. It was an illusion and one that would come in handy she believed.

She had yet to come up with a concrete plan on what she wanted to do after she mastered the magic. She knew whatever it was, it had to involve turning her back on this life. She was done being some lesser nobility that wasn't good enough for consideration by the queen and her daughter. She wanted people to look at her with respect and be in awe of her power. She wanted to be in a position where she made the decisions.

Rumpelstiltskin had promised her that would come as she became stronger in her magic. Even in the short amount of time since Daniel and her mother had arrived at the castle she felt more in control of the magic. She felt like this time a battle between her and her mother would end differently.

Daniel was standing near his father looking bored and she couldn't help but smile – she had after all promised him a dance.

Moving to her left, she made her way around the room, avoiding going near her parents, and even avoiding Abigail although it would be laughable that she would be recognized by her. The closer she got to Daniel, the more the adrenaline surged inside her. This was probably not a smart idea, but she couldn't help but feel a little playful knowing she was fully disguised. Plus she trusted Daniel not to give her up. Not for the first time she thought about how things would be different if she had fallen in love with Daniel and not Emma.

But she just didn't feel that way about him and now he knew that.

She had to wait a while until no one was around him and she walked up from behind him, linking her arm with his. "I believe you owe me a dance," she said. He looked at her in confusion, trying to determine who she was. She smiled at him. "Come now Daniel, I did tell you I was coming to the ball."

"Regina?" he said uncertainly.

She nodded and pulled him out onto the dance floor as the music began to play again.

"Why do you look like this?" he asked as their dance began.

"You didn't think I could show up looking like myself, did you? Emma and her mother would probably have me thrown in the dungeons in order to keep me from ruining her engagement announcement."

"Is that why you are here, to ruin the announcement?"

"No," she said. "I am here to witness the announcement; that is all. I didn't come here to cause problems. I only wanted to see it for myself."

"This is crazy," he said. "Emma doesn't want to marry Killian. She is being forced into it by her mother. She loves you."

Regina had a slight misstep but corrected herself easy enough. "I know what I saw," she insisted. "Don't let her fool you. Emma is no different than her mother. If she loved me she would never have had me kidnapped. If she loved me, it would have been her, not you, showing up at the castle."

"For someone who was kidnapped, you don't seem all that upset about where you ended up."

"I had to make due the best I could considering the circumstances."

Daniel stopped their dancing and gripped her by the upper arms. "Regina, you need to stop this, whatever this is. Emma is right there. She loves you and I know you still love her. I can tell. I can tell because if you didn't, you wouldn't be feeling the hurt you are feeling. You can't give into that pain though. This is some sort of misunderstanding. Let's get Emma and clear it up."

She paused a moment, glancing over at Emma who was talking with Killian. Turning back to Daniel, she shook off his hands. "There is nothing to clear up," she said resolutely. "Don't you get it; I don't get to be with her. That man up there, he does."

She pushed past him, not wanting to make a scene or draw attention to herself. She needed to get out of there, but as she neared the door to leave the trumpets sounded and she knew the moment she said she had come here to see – the one she dreaded was upon them. She faced the thrones, finding a place to stand where she could see Emma clearly.

While she sees Emma's father stand and begin his speech, she doesn't hear the words – they are nothing more than background noise. All she sees is Emma standing and Killian taking her hand.

The only part of the speech she hears comes from Snow's mouth.

"We welcome you all back a year from now when the happy couple unites forever," she said.

She looks straight at Emma even though Emma is not looking at her. Again she feels the need to take a risk so she took off the mask that covered the top of her face and then she dropped the illusion that made her look like a red-headed young woman. Now she was just Regina once more.

Within seconds of dropping the magic Emma's eyes widened as she sees her through the crowd. Regina watches as Emma takes a step forward, only to have Killian strengthen his hand hold on her. Emma's lips part in disbelief over seeing Regina there and then she does something Regina doesn't expect – she nods her head ever so slightly, the way she used to when she signaled to Regina to meet her in the gardens.

Regina took a step back and to the right in order to block the line of sight from her and Emma. Was Emma really signaling for her to meet her in the gardens like they used to? Her heart was beating faster than she thought possible and she realized she shouldn't be standing there in her current form so she used her magic to cloak her identity although she didn't bother putting the mask back on. It had fallen from her hand anyway the moment Emma had looked at her.

What she really needed was a moment to think this through. Should she go to the garden? Should she speak to Emma? This isn't how she had planned this out. All she wanted to do was come here and hear the engagement; see that things were truly over between the two of them.

This isn't what she was expecting.

She looks to the door, intent on leaving once more, but finds she is unable to move.

"Regina."

She turns at the feel of a person's hand on her arm and looks up to see her mother.

"I … I have to go," she says pulling away. She exists the door and makes her way out of the castle to where the carriage that brought her into its walls sits. "We're leaving," she says to the driver.

"Regina,"

This time when she turns, both her parents are there and she can see Daniel standing several steps away. She wonders if he told them about her disguise or if they had seen her when she had become herself in there.

Her father hugged her, saying nothing, just squeezing her tight and she felt the emotions building up inside of her. She had missed him. He didn't deserve to have to worry about her.

"You're coming home with us," her father said after breaking off the hug. "I'm not going to pretend I know all that has been going on with you but whatever it is, we will figure it out together as a family."

"I can't," she said shaking her head.

"Yes you can," he insisted. "The only reason we are even here tonight is for you."

"It's true," her mother said. "Just like what I said before it true. I am willing to put aside this petty anger with Snow and approach her on you behalf. All I want is for you to be happy."

"You never cared about it before," Regina spat back.

"Regina," Henry said sternly.

"No, my darling," Cora said. "Let her speak."

"You … you kept dragging me to court even though you know I hated it," Regina said, hating herself for the pleading sound in her voice. She felt more like a nine-year-old girl than a young woman in that moment. "All you cared about is finding some appropriate match to marry me off. You hate the queen yet you put on this fake smile every time you come here. How could you even stand to be in the same room with her after what she did to your brother?"

Cora took a step back. "How do you … the Dark One, he saw a reason to tell you about my brother did he?"

"He shouldn't have had to," Regina shot back. "I had an uncle I knew nothing about because you have to keep secrets. Like the fact I have this magic inside of me, just as you do, but you didn't want to share that either. Why couldn't you just be content to have me as your daughter and be a mother to me? Because you weren't. All you have ever done is push me in the direction you wanted me to go. I won't be pushed around anymore."

"Fine, I have made mistakes. I am not perfect, but come home with us, please, and I promise I will do better. I can be a better person, a better mother, just give me the chance."

She faced the coach once more, trying to get her emotions under control. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Regina, please, come home to us," her father said.

She closed her eyes, steeling herself for what she needed to do. "I can't," she said, looking at them both. "I am not a child anymore. I make my own decisions. I need to continue to pursue my education in magic."

"Listen to yourself," Cora said. "You shouldn't have to need anything that magic provides you. This is how it starts, I know because I almost fell into the same trap. I know what it feels like to hold that kind of power in your hands and to feel invincible."

"But I don't feel invincible," Regina interrupted her. "I don't. I feel like I am the person who is always going to get hurt and the only way to stop that is to become powerful so no one can hurt me."

"If you truly believe that magic can give you that, then I fear you have only set yourself up for more disappointment."

"That is what I have always been to you, a disappointment," she said. She didn't wait for an answer, merely got into the coach and instructed the driver to take her from this place.

…

Emma entered her chambers, immediately dismissing her handmaidens, telling them she wanted to be alone. This whole night had been a disaster.

It was done now – she was engaged to Killian.

In a year's time she would be married to him.

The thought made her physically ill.

The only time this evening that she felt even the slightest bit of joy was when she saw Regina through the crowds. It was like she had magically appeared out of no where and Emma had wanted to run to her. She had felt Killian's grip on her hand and she knew that she couldn't just do that – it would have left Regina exposed so she had merely given her their old signal to meet in the gardens.

When she was finally able to get free to go there, Regina wasn't there. She feared she had taken too long because her mother had insisted she dance with Killian for the first time that evening to show every one a glimpse of the future. Then there were people congratulating her and finally she had to beg off for a few minutes of get some air. She had hoped to find Regina there waiting for her, but when she wasn't, she couldn't help but feel she had failed once more. She shouldn't have left Regina waiting. The self-promise she had made to put Regina before all else rang hollow in her ears now.

She entered her bedroom, ready to go to sleep and hopefully dream of her love, her lost love.

"You looked beautiful tonight."

Emma turned toward the speaker of the words to find Regina standing there in her bedroom.

"Regina!" she said rushing over and wrapping her arms around her. "I was so afraid I was never going to see you again."

"Is that so?" Regina stepping out of her embrace and putting some distance between them. Emma notices the flat, neutral tone in Regina's inflection.

"Yes," Emma said. "I've been so worried. And then when Daniel returned here and told me about seeing you … I don't know what the Dark One has done to you …"

"Nothing, he's done nothing to me. Although I guess I should be thankful he hasn't seeing as you so callously gave me over to him."

"No, that's not what happened. He made a deal with me, he was supposed to be helping us be together," Emma said stepping closer. "I love you. I don't want to be with anyone but you, you know this."

"Do I? Because I didn't hear you objecting down there when they announced your engagement to Killian."

"I will do it now. Please come with me, we will go see my parents and I will tell them that you are the one I want to be with and I refuse to marry Killian. I won't marry him." Emma said. "Please Regina."

She brought her arms around her once more and kissed her. She felt Regina's lips remain stiff at first and then slowly give in to the undeniable passion they had always shared.

A disturbance from outside the room made the two women separate. Emma stepped toward the door only to have it burst open, her mother in the lead of several guards.

"Arrest her," she said pointing at Regina.

"No!" Emma said running up to her mom. "Don't do this; she hasn't done anything wrong."

"It's ok honey," Snow said. "You were right that she would try something. Thank goodness she chose to come up here rather than cause a nasty scene in front of our guests. But when you failed to get her to come to the gardens where we could take her quietly, we knew she would try coming here."

"What?" Emma said, and she looked back at Regina who was openly staring at her in disbelief, which was quickly replaced with anger. She saw this smile that didn't fit Regina's kind nature come across her face.

"I am sorry to disappoint you then," Regina said. "You will not be arresting me tonight or any night. But I do make you this promise princess – you will never marry that man."

Regina disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"What have you done?" Emma said turning to her mother. "How did you know she was here? You made her think I …"

"Leave us," Snow said to the guards. Once they left Snow closed the door. "Emma, what I did, I did for you own good," Snow said.

"How can you say that? How can you not listen to me when I have told you that I don't want to marry Killian. I love Regina," Emma said. "I want to spend the rest of my life with her, and only her. I don't care about your precious kingdom and your discriminating rules of society. I don't care if you don't think Regina isn't good enough for me because it doesn't matter what you think, not anymore. Get yourself a new heir. I hereby renounce my title, my crown and anything else that is keeping me from being with the woman I love."

Snow shook her head. "You will marry Killian," she said. "As for Regina; she's not going to be around to stop it."

"What do you mean? If you harm her …"

"Don't get dramatic. I am not having her killed or harmed. I am simply ensuring she doesn't interfere with your marriage."

The doors opened once more and Emma staggered backward as the Dark One entered and stood beside her mother.

"Your mother and I have made a deal," he said. "You see I am planning on a trip, a trip I need Regina's assistance to complete. So I have agreed to take Regina with me on this trip and in return, your mother promises to keep you from interfering."

"You snake," Emma said coming up and slapping him across the face. "You tricked me. This was about Regina all along wasn't it?"

"Of course it was. Your young friend has such wonderful potential. She just needs some guidance."

"But … you made a deal with me first," she said.

"Yes, I did," he smiled. "Unfortunately, you never specified a time limit on when that deal must be fulfilled. Your mother however didn't oversee that fact. We have agreed on a year from now – in one year Regina will come with me, and there is nothing you or anyone else can do to stop it."

"What are you going to do with her?"

"Don't worry, she will be unharmed, as your mother has said. In fact, Regina is going to get what she wants out of this deal as well – a world where her station won't be a barrier to anything she wants. I am taking her some place where kings and queens don't exist. And after tonight's how shall we say performance, she will be more than willing to go with me."


	13. Chapter 13

Anger was still boiling over her as she used her traveling spell to appear back at the Dark One's castle. She had never used it to travel so far and she felt weakened by it, but she refused to show it as she held her head up high and entered the castle. Instead of going to her room, she went to the Dark One's library. He wasn't there but she barely gave it notice as she began pulling books from the shelves – spellbooks. Once she had a stack she carried them up to her room, passing by Belle.

"Regina, you are back. How did it go? Did you see Emma? Did you speak to her?" Belle asked as she followed Regina into her room.

Regina put the books down on her desk and took the top one, opening it and began flipping through it. "I saw her," Regina said, not looking up from the book. "And I even spoke to her briefly. It was long enough for me to learn what a duplicitous person she really is." This time she looked up at Belle. "She tried to get me alone so her guards could arrest me. The love of my life tried to have me arrested like I was some commoner who dared to trespass on royal ground. But she wasn't expecting my magic, or my power. The next time I look her in the eyes she will know that power has no bounds."

Her eyes went back to the book and Belle studied her a moment before leaving the room. Regina took a seat once she found a spell she thought worth her time and began studying it.

Once Belle left the room she hurried downstairs in search of Rumplestiltskin. She didn't like the look in Regina's eyes just now. She was definitely no longer the young woman who came to the castle frightened. No, now Regina's determination had a focus and that focus clearly meant bad things for the princess.

She couldn't find him at first but when she swung back around to his study where she had already checked, she found him there actually humming gleefully.

"You know what happened, don't you?" Belle asked.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean you know what happened between Regina and Emma."

"Ah yes. It's a shame young love doesn't last that long anymore. Oh well, now Regina is free to concentrate on her magic and not returning that naïve princess."

"You did this," Belle accused him. "You set this all in motion, didn't you?"

He laughed. "Whatever would give you that idea my dear?"

"Everything you do, you do it for a reason," she said. "Why? Why tear apart their love? Is it because you yourself are incapable of feeling love that you would see it destroyed in others?"

"Careful Belle," he said in a warning tone and then he laughed once more. "If anything I am a full supporter of the love between Regina and Emma. In fact I believe it to be the purest and truest of love, and that is some strong magic indeed. As I promised Emma, I would give her and Regina the opportunity to be together, but not here in this world."

"What do you mean, not in this world?"

He smiled at her. "Let's just say I'm planning a trip."

….

Months passed by and Emma felt like she was under arrest. She was not allowed to leave the castle grounds unless she was accompanied by one of her parents and a contingent of guards. There were even guards stationed outside of her chambers now. Wherever she went there were people keeping an eye on her.

Her mother had made it clear that she expected Emma to begin to play the role of the perfect princess who was happy to be marrying the man she loved. Emma refused to speak to her and her mother was at least smart enough not to address her in public so at least others wouldn't see her daughter snubbing her.

Emma had again appealed to her father. This time she thought she was getting somewhere with him until he learned of Regina's magic and then he backed off. Her father was a practical man who put his faith in cold, hard steel, not in things like magic.

Now her mother had him convinced that the guards were needed around Emma because Regina could use her magic to get to her at any time and they must take all precautions against that.

She had been fooled by the Dark One and it made her angry. If he hadn't have interfered that night Emma had no doubt she could have convinced Regina of her sincerity. She could have made her see that she still loved her and then Regina could have taken them both away from there with her magic.

What she still didn't understand was the Dark One's assertion that their deal was still active. Did that mean in some distant future he would fulfill his end of it? And if so, how long would that be and would it be too late? He said he was taking Regina with him to a world where her station didn't matter. Emma couldn't let that happen. She had lost Regina once already, she couldn't let the Dark One take her to some unknown world where Emma might never see her or know of her again.

She had only one last desperation move – one she wasn't even sure would work. It was almost laughable actually, but she was dealing with magic so she needed some magic of her own. For the last few weeks she had sent up a prayer each night to her fairy Godmother. She supposedly had one, although no one had ever appeared to her and she hadn't given it any thought until now. But she needed help and she honestly couldn't think of anything else to do.

She had not even been allowed to see Daniel in private. All her audiences with people now had to be made with others in attendance and usually that other was her mother. She didn't want to harm Daniel by implicating him in this situation with Regina so she hadn't bothered granting him audience when he asked. She felt bad but she wouldn't have her mother's pettiness turned on him.

Today had been another exhausting day of having to sit with the wedding planners and her mother. She usually sat quietly during these days because she honestly didn't care what they planned. Today though, today she was feeling more anger than usual as her pleas to even her fairy Godmother went unanswered, so when one of the planners asked her opinion about some decoration she told them her thoughts about it. This resulted in her mother making excuses on her behalf about being stressed or whatever and then Emma was essentially banished to her room.

Now she saw at her window looking out at what had become her prison.

As night crept in, she made ready for bed, not bothering this time to pray for any help that she knew would not be coming. She slept poorly and woke, deciding to stay in bed. She sent word through her handmaidens that she was not feeling well and did not wish to be disturbed. She stayed in bed all day and ate very little. This lasted for three more days before her mother came to try and force her from the bed. Emma merely turned over and ignored her.

Her thoughts took on a darker tone as she began to wonder if life was even worth living.

That night she thought she heard someone calling her name so she sat up in bed and looked around in the darkness. Suddenly a light appeared in front of her and she stared at it as floated there in front of her. She reached out for it but it darted backward.

"Turn on the light Emma," a small voice said.

Emma lit one of the lanterns at her bedside and she stared in disbelief at the green fairy that was flying there in her room. There was a bright flash of green light and the fairy turned into a full grown young woman who took a seat on the bed.

"You really should get up and take a bath today," the fairy said.

"Are you …"

"Your fairy Godmother? Yes."

"But you look as young as I am."

"Is there some requirement that I look old?" she said.

Emma honestly didn't know, she had just assumed so she shrugged in response.

"I'm Tink," the fairy said. "And you Princess Emma need to start making things so needlessly hard on yourself."

"Excuse me."

"You know your mother is not going to back down so going on like this is not going to help matters."

"I'm sorry, are you my fairy Godmother or my mother's?" she asked getting angry all over again.

"I'm yours," Tink said. "But ever since you made a deal with the Dark One, you have effectively neutralized my power to help you. Not one of your smarter moves I think we can both agree."

"Why can't you help me because of my deal with him?"

"Because in doing to you essentially gave him partial control of your destiny. It's rather complicated, but I came here to tell you I can't really help you with what you want help with."

"Then why bother coming at all?"

"Attitude really isn't helping matters," Tink said. "Now the Dark One is very powerful being. So powerful that my magic is limited in what it can do. I can't break your deal with him, nor could I break your mother's deal with him. The only person who can really stop the Dark One from taking Regina away with him is Regina herself. But I'm sure you have figured out by now that he has manipulated her into believing what he has planned is for the best. It's a shame really after all the trouble you two have given me so far."

"What do you mean?"

"Did you really think you have snuck out of the castle so many times to meet up with Regina without being caught because you two were just that smart? If anything, I think you both have proven that wasn't the case. No, that was me."

"But why? I mean thanks but why when I didn't ask for your help then."

"It's not my job to just be there when you ask for help. Besides, I wasn't answering your plea at the time, I was answering Regina's."

"You are her fairy Godmother as well?"

"Yes. Now do you see why I don't just drop in at every beck and call? I do have other charges. Regina was desperate to see you and spend time with you, but she was also worried about getting caught and what that would mean for her and her family. I merely helped it so that you two wouldn't get caught," she said. "You two used to my favorites until you both proved to be idiots."

"Surely there is something you can do. Did Regina make a deal with the Dark One?"

"No."

"Then do you have the power to help her if you can't help me?"

Tink sighed and stood up, going over to the window. "The only thing Regina cares about right now is her magic and becoming more powerful in it. And she is becoming more powerful, of that there is no doubt. I can't help her if she doesn't ask for my help and believe me right now, the state of mind she is in, she doesn't want it. She is pouring all the energy she once poured into her love for you, into her magic."

"Does that mean she doesn't love me anymore?"

"No," Tink smiled. "She loves you still. She doesn't want to admit it, but she does. And she always will, just as you will always love her. You two are soul mates Emma."

Emma knew hearing that should make her happy but instead she started to cry. She buried her head into her pillow as her body shuddered. She felt a hand on her back.

"Emma, you have to start becoming a stronger person," Tink said. "I know this is hard. I know this is not how you wish your life was, but locking yourself away up here, throwing fits to your mother, crying, none of that is going to help the situation. You have to believe that because Regina is your soul mate that you two will one day be together. For that to happen though you need to show your mother that you're not a little girl anymore or a bratty teenager. You need to show her that strength I know you have inside of you. You made a vow to put Regina first. It's time you start to do that."

"What do you think I have been trying to do?" Emma said sitting up.

"What you are doing isn't working, surely you see that," Tink said. "No, it's time to change tactics. I'm not saying you should do a complete turn around and act like you are happy about marrying Killian. But your mother sees your current attitude as nothing but a minor nuisance. She is grooming you to be a queen someday, it's time you start acting like it – she will respect you more if she sees your strength, and at some point she will drop her guard and that is when you need to be ready."

"Ready for what?"

"To leave here, to go find Regina."

"Will you help me when the time comes?"

"I will," Tink said. "But you need to do your part first."

Emma hugged her, feeling the first bit hope she had felt in months. "Will you do me one other favor?"

"What?" Tink asked, sure she wasn't going to like it.

"Go to Regina. Please, just try and talk to her. Tell her I'm her soul mate. Tell her I will come for her, that I will find her no matter what it takes."

Tink seemed to consider it. "I can't make you a promise about that, but I will try."

"Thank you," Emma said.

"Remember. Show the world your strength."


	14. Chapter 14

Regina returned the stack of books to the Dark One's library – she had gone through all of them in a matter of days. They were not just spell books but also books on the history and usage of magic. She was trying to absorb every piece of knowledge she could about magic.

She left the books on a table knowing Belle would put them back in their proper spots later. Approaching the bookshelves to gather more books she stood there merely staring the various titles until her vision blurred. Sighing, she moved closer and took a book out she hadn't read yet, but flipping through its pages she suddenly had no desire to read it or any of the other books.

Her life had been reduced to eating, sleeping and learning magic. Not for the first time she wondered if the magic would be enough for her sustain a life. Would it be enough to keep her going?

She tried to shake off the feeling of melancholy but it would pop up every once in a while. Once her anger over what happened at the ball, and more so what happened afterward, had begun to disapate she would periodically get sad like this. The anger over Emma's betrayal had turned into sadness over her own loneliness as the weeks had passed.

"Ah Regina, I should have guess I would find you in here," Rumplestiltskin said. "Looking for something in particular?"

"No," she said.

"Most of these are probably beneath your talent level at this point anyway," he said. "Not that it isn't good for you to increase your knowledge, it is."

"What would you suggest then?" she asked.

"Come," he said.

She followed him out and was surprised when they went down to the lower levels of the castle. She had never been down there. Belle had said there was nothing down there beyond storage.

"My guards caught a trespasser last night. He was trying to sneak in – as foolish as that is."

"Why was he trying to sneak in here?"

"That is what you and I are going to find out."

Regina was now curious. She had to assume since he had brought her with her that there was some magical way in order to find out why the man was trying to sneak in. Doing a mental review she was unable to come up with something she knew that would be useful in finding out.

There were two guards standing outside a door and one of them opened it when he saw them coming. Regina looked around her as they entered a room with torture devices. For the first time since she had first come to this castle she began to get nervous. They passed through this room without comment to another guarded door which was opened for them. This time they entered a hall with cells on either side.

They stopped in front of one that was midway down. She noticed this was the only cell that had an occupant.

"Hello," Rumplestiltskin who looked at the man who was looking back at the Dark One with obvious fear in his eyes. "Would you care to tell me while you trespassing in my domain last night."

"I … I was lost."

"Lost. You know there isn't much out here that people would be traveling in this area to get lost, which makes me believe that you were out here for other purposes."

Regina stood back from the Dark One as he spoke. She was studying this man – something seemed familiar about him but she couldn't figure out why. He was dressed in dark clothing and she could see where there was an empty scabbard at his side and another for a small dagger perhaps strapped to his leg. He wasn't dressed as farmer, workmen or anything that common. The cut of the clothing was too nice for that and it wasn't worn out in anyway.

"I was lost, I swear," the guy said.

"You swear, hmm, well I'm not sure I believe you," Rumplestiltskin said. "You see if you were lost, why didn't you flag down one of my guards to ask for help?"

"I didn't know if this was a friendly place. Just let me go and I will be on my way," the man said.

"What do you think Regina? Do you think he is telling the truth?" he asked, turning toward her.

"I don't know," she said truthfully. She got the feeling Rumplestiltskin was playing with this man.

"There is a way for us to know for sure," he said, waving his hand so the door unlocked and opened. He walked right up the man who had backed up to the wall. Regina gasped as the Dark One plunged his hand into the man's chest and pulled out his heart. What was even more astonishing to her was that the man hadn't fallen dead. Instead he stood there with a look she was sure mirrored her own.

Rumplestiltskin walked back to her with a casualness that was disturbing to her.

"When you hold a person's heart in your hand like thus, you can control them. You can compel them to do what you want even if you aren't holding their heart physically but you have it in your possession," he said. "It's quite a useful trick."

She didn't say anything her eyes on this living organ.

"Now, let's try this conversation again," he said, turning back to the man. "Why were you trying to sneak into my castle last night?"

The man paused, trying to fight some unseen power that was working against him.

"I was here to assassinate the Lady Regina," he sputtered out.

She took an involuntary step back at hearing this. This man had tried to get inside the castle to kill her. Her mind couldn't focus on anything but those words.

"Who sent you?" Rumplestiltskin asked.

"I was sent on the authority of Queen Snow and the Princess Emma."

She was sure she heard him wrong. Despite all that had happened she did not believe that Emma would be involved in a plot to have her killed.

"He must be lying," she said. "Emma wouldn't."

Rumplestiltskin squeezed the heart and the man cried out, driven to his knees in pain. "I will ask again, who sent you?"

The man gave the same answer.

"I'm sorry," Rumplestiltskin said to Regina. "As long as I hold his heart he is compelled to do as I say. He can't lie."

"But why? Why try and have me killed?"

He shrugged. "Perhaps they see you as a threat to the princess' upcoming nuptials."

She had threatened that Emma would never be married to Killian, but despite those words, she hadn't really thought about stopping the wedding. She had tried not to think about Emma's marriage.

"I … I need to go," she said.

"Regina, stop."

She had only made it couple of steps when he said it and she almost ignored him and kept going. Something about his tone made her turn around. In the entire time she had been here, he had never spoken to her like that. Yes, during lessons he would give her commands, but never like this.

"You need to learn to be strong in the face of adversity," he said. "You are not that crying, scared little girl who first came here. You've gotten a taste of power yes, but you have not learned true power. Remember, this is what you wanted. You wanted power so no one could ever hurt you, so are you going to walk away now when there is someone here in front of you – someone who is a threat to you?"

"He is no longer a threat. He was caught," she said.

"And what about the next one?"

In this short amount of time, she had not even thought about there being any other attempts on her life. She stepped closer and studied this man once more. He was sweating now, fearful perhaps of what was to happen next. Again, she thought something about him seemed familiar.

"You were there," she said suddenly. "You were one of Emma's guards the day she and I went out riding, the day I was taken here."

It was the small scar on his eyebrow that made her remember. Emma had commented to her that he had accidentally knicked himself while playing around with a whip. Her mother had wanted to take him out of the guard rotation for his foolishness but Emma liked the guy and interceded on his behalf.

"You were one of the guards, weren't you?" she asked.

"Answer her," Rumplestiltskin said.

"Yes I was," he said.

She felt anger boil up inside her once more. Emma had sent this man to kill her. The woman who had once proclaimed her undying love for her, had now wanted her dead so that she would not interfere with her wedding.

"What are you going to do with him?" she asked the Dark One.

"It's not what I am going to do, it's what you are going to do. This is your problem to solve, not mine," he said.

"How would you suggest I handle it then?"

"Here," he said, holding out the heart for her to take. She hesitated, but then took it in her own. She was again unable to tear her eyes off of it. It was a bright shade of red and she was struck with awe that this was a person's heart.

"Do you feel it?" the Dark One asked quietly. He has moved so he was standing directly behind her and she hadn't even noticed. "Do you feel the power that comes with holding it?"

She nodded her head. She could feel it. This was the source of life and she had control of it.

"Now crush it," he said.

She turned to him. "What?"

"Crush it," he repeated. "Destroy it and you destroy this threat to your life. Kill him and we shall send his body back to Queen Snow so that she knows never to send another assassin here. Show her that you have the power, not her."

Her eyes went to the heart and then to the man who now looked at her in fear as he had the Dark One. She didn't like it so she averted her eyes. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before Rumplestiltskin said "Do it."

She faced the Dark One once more and held out the heart to him. "I will not. I'm not a killer. Queen Snow and Emma may want me dead. They can send a hundred assassins after me but I will not take a person's life. I won't be like them."

He stood there considering what she had to say and she thought she saw a trace of anger in his expression but it passed too quickly and he laughed. "Of course you aren't a killer," he said clapping his hands. "Bravo Regina for showing your strength there."

"Was this some sort of test?" she asked, confused.

"Yes, of course and you passed," he said, taking the heart back from her, and pushed it back into the man's chest. He gasped as it was returned and then rubbed the spot as soon as Rumplestiltskin's hand was removed.

"Why?" she asked.

"You are going to face tough choices," he said to her. "It is the way of life. Learning not to back away from making a choice is an important lesson."

"But … does that mean he isn't really an assassin?"

"Oh, he is," he said. "As I said, once you have a person's heart in your hand they must do as you say."

"So what are we going to do with him?"

"Once I am sure he poses no further threat to you, I will release him, let him return to the queen and princess as a failure. What they do to him for failing is not our concern. He should hope that they are as generous as you are."

"And you won't harm him?"

"No," he said. "As I said, the decision was yours and you have spoken. Now, why don't you go back upstairs to your studies and I will handle matters down here."

She looked at the man one more time before leaving. Her legs felt shaky as she made her way up the stairs. She couldn't help but wonder if the Dark One would have stopped her if she had done as he said and squeezed the heart.


	15. Chapter 15

Emma had been groomed to take over the kingdom one day. It had been ordained since the moment she was born. She had tutors to teach her of various subjects from history to politics. She had been taught proper etiquette and the importance of how to greet other nobles. She had been made to learn about not only those lands in the kingdom but those outside of it.

To her it had all been boring.

When she first met Regina and fell in love with her, she had begun to imagine another life – a life where they would run away and none of this other stuff would matter.

Now that kind of future seemed next to impossible.

The truth was she would be happier if she was never queen.

She had given a lot of thought to what Tink had told her. She had not heard from the fairy for more than a month and she wondered if Tink had gotten to speak to Regina yet. The next morning after speaking to Tink, Emma had gotten out of bed without a plan to do as Tink wanted her to do. She didn't really know what showing her strength meant. She thought she had been by being resolute about not wanting to marry Killian and insisting her love belonged only to Regina. But Tink seemed to be counseling her in another direction.

Emma just wasn't sure what the direction should be.

The first week Emma continued to be distant with her mother, but she also began paying more attention to the things going on around her. While she may be educated, she really had never bothered doing anything with it. After all, she was going to inherit the kingdom regardless and there were always dozens of advisers around to ask questions of or get advise from that she never saw a reason to be actually involved in anything.

She began to think more critically about the life she had lived so far and the choices she had made. After that first week she had come to a conclusion – she was an idiot.

Idiot might be too harsh, she thought, maybe it was just that she was shallow. She never gave thought to others. Yes she was polite and genuinely nice to everyone, but it was only on the surface.

Her handmaidens for instance – she knew their names, their roles, how long they had been with her, but she couldn't say she knew anything about them. So she decided to start there. She began to speak with them more freely. She didn't speak to them about herself or what they thought about her, but instead began to ask questions about them. At first they seemed hesitant to speak to her about such things but slowly they began to open up more.

One of them was in love with the blacksmith's assistant. One of them was the only child of a single mother who also worked within the castle. One of them was from another kingdom entirely. All these things Emma learned that she never knew about people she saw every day.

By the time another month passed they began to not wait for Emma to ask questions, they began to talk to her almost like she was an ordinary person.

And they also began to share gossip with her.

It wasn't just the handmaidens that she was paying attention to during this time. Since she had turned 15 she had been forced to attend meetings with her parents and their advisers. They would speak of various issues the kingdom was facing. She had never once left one of those meetings having much of a clue of what those issues were because she usually stopped paying attention. And she never spoke during them.

These meetings took place once a week and for the six weeks Emma merely observed and paid attention. After each one, if she didn't have some other responsibility, she would go to her room and take down notes from the meeting. If she had a question about something she would go search out the adviser and have them explain things she didn't understand (mostly due to her not paying attention for all these years).

A couple of them were clearly surprised by her seeking more information from them. Each would take the time to help her understand though and seemed pleased when she did understand. After six weeks, she spoke up during one of the meetings, making a suggestion to an issue that was well-received by those there.

She threw herself into a more careful study of the kingdom and all its facets – catching up on an education that she had taken for granted the first time around.

By the time three months had passed her confidence had increased considerably and she saw that people began to view her differently. She didn't want to think about what they probably thought of her before and instead concentrated on becoming a better person now. She embraced her role as princess and she wanted everyone to see it.

While her transformation was a positive, it didn't mean it did much to solve her biggest problem – her nuptials to Killian.

Their interactions were stiff for the most part. She had made it clear to him that she didn't want this marriage. In response, he made it clear that he didn't really care. He saw her as a way to increase his own standing and the fact they didn't love each other didn't mean much to him. That's not to say he didn't feign affection toward her when appropriate but now that they both knew where the other stood, when they were alone they didn't seen any reason to be fake around the other. If anything, she thought this made Killian a more interesting person to her because neither felt the need to put on a show.

The only time he had given her pause was when he pointed out that whether she wanted the marriage or not, he would be "exercising his rights" as her husband.

The day he had said that Emma had prayed for Tink to appear. She needed to know how Regina was doing and if Tink had come up with anything to reunite the two women.

But Tink had been silent still.

Her relationship with her mother had not improved during this time. Snow had even complimented her daughter on her change. Emma had thanked her, but it was purely for show and her mother knew it. She never looked away from her mother now – instead she looked her straight in the eye when they interacted. She hoped it conveyed the message that Emma was not going to back down to her – not anymore.

When discussion of the wedding came up, Emma referred all decisions to Snow. She never got angry, never yelled, never brought up Regina's name or did anything rash, but if the wedding planner asked her opinion about something, she would simply say she didn't know or couldn't make a decision and then pass it off to her mother to make.

There was no way she was going to help this wedding process along.

She was in her room, studying some numbers – financial information for the kingdom – when Tink appeared in her room, startling her.

"Have you seen Regina?" she asked immediately.

There was a slight pause before Tink nodded yes. From her expression Emma immediately became concerned. "What?" she asked. "Did something happen to her? Did he hurt her in some way?"

"No, she is unharmed," Tink said. "But I am concerned for her. She's changed."

"Changed in what way?"

"She is letting this quest for magic consume her and I worry about where it is leading. When she wakes in the morning she practices her magic. Throughout the day she studies magic. If it weren't for Belle there I'm afraid she would never eat. She …"

"Who is this Belle," Emma interrupted. "Daniel mentioned her too, that she is some sort of servant or something of the Dark One."

"It's a little more complicated than that with Belle."

"What does that mean? Is there something going on between this Belle and Regina?"

"No," Tink said.

"You are sure?"

"Yes," Tink said, seeing the relief on Emma's face. "My point is that Regina is concentrating on growing her knowledge of magic and ignoring everything else. All she cares about is magic. I'm afraid that includes whatever it is that Rumplestiltskin is expecting of her. His manipulation of her continues and she doesn't even seem to realize it."

She explained to Emma what she had observed – which included the interaction with Regina, the Dark One and the assassin.

"I didn't send an assassin after her," Emma protested.

"I know this," Tink said. "I don't even think your mother did, at least not in the way the Dark One wants Regina to think. The man, he definitely came from your kingdom, but knowing that your mother and Rumplestiltskin are working together, we can conjecture that perhaps she sent him there in order for Regina to be set up like this."

"But she didn't do it; she didn't kill him. She wouldn't," Emma said. She was pacing by this point. "She's a good person."

"She is a good person, but right now she isn't thinking things through. She is holding on to this pain she is feeling over what has happened with you. And yes she still believes you are a part of all of this."

"Did you talk to her? Did you tell her that I love her?"

"I have not spoken to her."

"Why not?" Emma demanded. "How can you say you are our fairy godmother or whatever and then not help us when we need it?"

"Emma," Tink said sternly. "Me speaking to Regina would have no bearing on what she is feeling or what she is doing. I have watched over the two of you since you were born. I may very well know you better than you know yourself. I'm telling you that right now Regina would not be receptive if I popped in there to give her your declaration of love."

Emma moved away from her, resisting the urge to tell Tink she didn't care and she better go to Regina now and tell her. She calmed down before speaking again. "What do you suggest we do?"

"You continue what you are doing here. You are doing really good Emma. I'm very proud of you. I will continue to keep an eye on Regina and see if I can find an opening to speak to her when she might be willing to listen. I know this isn't what you want to hear right now. I know you are wishing there was some instant solution to all of this, but there isn't one," Tink said. "All you can do is hold onto your faith that you and Regina belong with each other."

Tink was right, it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but Emma also knew there wasn't much she could do about it either. "She needs to know I love her. She needs to believe that and not these other things that the Dark One is making her believe," Emma said. "I can't help but think that the night of the ball if I had been able to speak with her alone that this wouldn't be happening now. I know if she was here with me, facing me, she would know in her heart that I would never betray her like she believes I have."

"My goal is to give you that chance."

"What is it that the Dark One wants with her exactly?"

"He wants her to cast a spell that will take him to another place, a place where he is hoping he can find his son in. He had a young son whom he lost many years ago. He had tried to get Regina's mother to cast this spell, well it's a curse really, but she ended up refusing to do it. Now he wants Regina to do it."

"A curse?" Emma said. "That sounds dangerous. Would it harm Regina?"

"I do not know," Tink said. "To my knowledge he has not shared with her any details of how to cast it or what exactly it will do."

"He wants to take Regina with him to this other world? Why? If it is about finding his son, why take her with him?"

Tink shrugged. "Maybe he needs her in order to get back again."

Emma wasn't sure the explanation was that simple. She was still confused by Rumplestiltskin saying her deal with him was still in tact. It made no sense.

"If he does something to her, harms her in any way, I don't care if he is the Dark One," Emma said. "I will find a way to destroy him."


	16. Chapter 16

Regina was annoyed. She was listening to the Dark One speak of this spell he was wanting her to cast in order for him to find his son. Her annoyance was more for the way he was speaking to her more than the content itself.

"Stop," she said as she reached her boiling point. "Stop speaking to me like I am some novice. I have read every book you have directed me to and more. I have studied on my own and with you. I have performed every spell you have told me to learn. You either want me to cast this spell or you don't, but if you do, I suggest you start giving me a little more respect."

He regarded her after she was done speaking. "You do not yet know it all," he said, dismissively.

"Of that I have no doubt, but I have been here for nearly a year now," she said. "And all I have done is thrown myself into the study of magic. I am ready to cast this spell, but you keep talking around it like it is so dangerous and complex that you can't give me the details. Well I want the details or you can find someone else to cast it for you. While you are deciding which it will be, why don't you also explain why you need me to cast it – why can't you do it yourself?"

Again he appeared to be studying her. She didn't particularly like being under his gaze but she also wasn't going to back down from him. In all the time she had been here, as her skills in magic had increased, so had her overall confidence. She was no longer that love sick girl who worried of what the queen would do to her and her family if she found out about her relationship with her daughter. No, she no longer feared such things because she was sure she had the power to overcome such petty obstacles.

She thought about the scar that was now on her lip – a reminder of a lesson learned, a lesson in not underestimating your enemy.

When he remained silent, she stood and began to walk out.

"Forgive me," he said, which caused her to stop, although she didn't turn back toward him. Instead she waited for him to move so he was in front of her. "While I may have schooled your mother in magic, I've never had a student come as far as you have, so forgive me for being cautious. I assure you, it's for your protection as well. You see this spell, it's really a curse and as the caster there are certain aspects of it that will remain exclusive to you."

"You are talking in riddles again," she said. "I want straight answers. Otherwise stop wasting my time as I have other matters to attend to."

"Ah, yes, your revenge against the Princess Emma."

"It's not revenge, this is justice," she responded. Her anger over Emma's betrayal had only grown as each month passed. There was the first assassination attempt, then the second – the one which resulted in her scar – and now it was her ever-growing frustration at not being able to do anything to strike back at the princess. She had sworn Emma would never marry Killian, but she had yet to think of the best way to prevent that and to teach Emma a lesson of her own.

As the wedding grew nearer she was becoming even more angry. There was hardly a day that went by that she didn't use the viewing pool to see what was happening inside the walls of the castle where Emma lived. Even seeing Emma from afar like that made her heart ache but she kept doing it, hoping one day she would be able to face Emma and feel nothing for her.

"Tell me Regina, what kind of justice do you want exactly?" he asked, knowing full well she had yet to come up with a plan of her own.

"I want to bring the whole White clan down to its knees," she said.

"Well by helping me, you would be helping yourself in that respect."

"How so?"

He smiled and walked around her, forcing her to turn to keep an eye on him. "This spell doesn't have to just take me to this other world," he said. "You could find your escape there as well."

"So your advice is for me to run away and let them get away with this."

"No," he said simply. "The spell could take all of us away to this world. That is the beauty of it. The caster would actually be creating a world within this world – its own contained space where certain elements can be dictated. For instance, you could make sure your family was the one in power, not the Whites. Imagine it, a place where you and your family hold sway over how things go. That would knock the queen and the princess down a few pegs don't you think?"

"Nice, but what prevents them from going after my family to regain their power?"

He laughed. "The fact they won't remember they had power."

She gave him a wary but curious look.

"Not only does this create a world within the world I want to get to, it will remake anyone brought over by the spell into a new person essentially. They won't remember they were a queen, or a princess or even if they were a servant. It would assign new identities to them and they would believe they had always been this person."

She considered this for several moments, trying to think it all through in her head while she walked back and forth. "How does this help you find your son if you won't remember who you are?"

"Oh, I will retain my memories, as will you. We will be the only ones who know this is not how things are supposed to be."

"Then Emma won't remember either and therefore she won't know that I won."

"True, but you will and isn't that really what matters?"

Again she fell silent. Nothing had been as she thought it would be in her life since the moment Emma sent her to this place. She had placed her entire future into the hands of this man before her, and she realized she didn't trust him with that future. So far he had been short on specifics of this spell, and he was still holding back – of that she was sure.

"Why can't you cast it?"

"My power comes from the Dark One's curse. I am not a natural magic user, you are, that is why I need you to do it. There are also certain restrictions you could say that come with this," he said. "You see in creating a world within a world, no one will be able to actually leave the boundaries of it. The spell will make everyone in it think that they never have to leave so they simply won't leave. All except for the caster. You will be have free rein to come and go as you please."

She was getting a headache thinking of all the holes there were in what he was telling her. She has so many questions floating around in her mind.

"You said this spell was a curse. What prevents the curse from being broken?"

"There is only one way that the curse gets broken, and that is with true love's kiss," he said.

True love's kiss. A rarity in their world. It wasn't to say people didn't love each other and share a kiss, but a true love's kiss had more to do with the melding of two souls. The lore behind it was that two souls were really meant to be one and when they found each other again and expressed their love for each other through the action of the kiss that their souls would be reunited once more. There was more to it than that depending on what childhood story you chose to believe. She used to listen in wonder as her mother would read her such stories when she was younger.

When she met Emma she had even daydreamed of the idea that Emma was her true love.

"There is another option for you as well," Rumple said. "You could choose to forget. You would be given a new identity and memories and you could forget all about Emma and the pain she has caused you."

"No," Regina said shaking her head. "I want to be able to look at her and know I succeeded."

"Very well, then that is how it shall be. Like I said as the caster certain elements of this can only be dictated by you and that is one of them."

"Now tell me what this spell involves exactly. You've waited long enough to find your son and I want it cast before her wedding," she said.

"That can be arranged. In fact, you can cast it and set it to take affect say the day of her wedding or the day before – it would almost be poetical don't you think?"

"Whatever," she said. "Just tell me what I need to do."

….

Emma would be lying if she said she wasn't more than a little nervous. Her wedding was now upon them.

She was running out of time and Tink had seemingly disappeared. She hadn't spoken to her for two months. The last time she did, Tink had said she was going to the Dark One's castle to finally speak to Regina. Tink didn't think Regina would receive her very well, but she admitted that she had to try because every day Regina seemed to be slipping more and more into darkness.

Emma knew something had happened to Regina because when she had spoken to Tink last she said Regina now had a scar on her lip – something she didn't have before. But Tink did not know how it came to be. It made Emma feel more anger than she thought possible. Someone – most likely the Dark One – had hurt Regina and there was nothing Emma could do about it.

She was sure that if she could just speak to Regina – meet her face to face – they could clear all this up. But so far at least that had not been possible.

It had forced Emma to make a decision and that decision was that she was going to escape the castle and go find Regina on her own. The guards that were constantly around her had grown lax as the months had passed. She was fully invested in the kingdom and becoming its future leader that she was no longer watched at all times. Still, she had been patient because she knew she would only get one shot at this.

Her mother was the only one who still seemed to regard her with suspicion. While she was polite to her mother, she hadn't softened her attitude toward her except for when they were in public. In private she simply refused to speak to her unless absolutely necessary. She had resigned herself to the fact that her relationship with her mother was most likely beyond repair.

She wished her mother could see reason – could see that marrying Killian would only bring her unhappiness. She wished her mother could see how Regina made everything better for her. All the hard work she had put in had all been for Regina. It was now nearing a year since she had last seen her yet her love for her had not diminished.

And she would see her again soon she swore.

If she had to storm the Dark One's castle to rescue her, she would do it.

Her plan was to leave in five days time. Everyone was so busy with the wedding plans and getting things ready that she believed she could slip out. Her handmaidens had been more useful than she could possibly imagine. By forging friendships with them, she had learned of how they got around the castle without being seen. She knew where the laundry was done, so she had made a plan to get there and get some plain clothes to wear. She would take those and then get to the stables for a horse. Once she had the horse she could change behind the stables and ride out in disguise. No one would stop her. She had spent a lot of time studying the soldiers' movements and they rarely looked twice at someone leaving the castle if there was no reason for it – and since they wouldn't know it was her, she believed she could slip out. From there she would go to Regina's parents' home and implore Cora to help her get to the Dark One's castle. She didn't know where it was located but since Cora did, it was her only hope.

She didn't really know what to do when she got there, but that didn't matter she figured. One way or another she would see Regina.

It wouldn't take long before people knew she had left but they would search the castle first – giving her the head start she needed.

After all, the day she left the castle would be on the eve of her wedding.

…

Regina was tired.

It wasn't a physical tiredness she had decided, it was a mental one.

She sat on a chair which was positioned next to the viewing pool. In its waters she saw Emma as she was going through a final fitting on her wedding dress. She looked beautiful and that only hurt Regina more. She didn't know why she continued to torture herself by coming up here, but she kept doing it.

Soon it wouldn't matter though.

Soon she would be in an entire world altogether and she swore that in that world she would leave Emma behind for good.

There was a knock on the door but Regina ignored it. Only two other people would ever dare to come up here and only one of them was polite enough to knock. She didn't bother to turn around as Belle came in.

"Regina," Belle said softly. She said it again when Regina didn't respond. "A rider just arrived here. It's Daniel. He says he must speak with you."

"Send him away," Regina said; her voice devoid of all emotion.

"He will not go until he speaks with you," Belle said. "He said he has news of your father. He wouldn't say what it was, but I gathered it was not good."

Regina stood quickly, waving her hand across the pool, making Emma disappear and bringing up an image of her father. He was in bed, his eyes closed. Her mother was at the bedside, her hands clutching his, her red-rimmed eyes filled with tears that had not yet fallen. She looked at Belle who had come closer and also saw the image.

"Go," Belle said.

Regina disappeared and reappeared in the courtyard where Rumplestiltskin was in the process of threatening Daniel if he did not leave.

"What is wrong with my father?" Regina asked, ignoring the Dark One.

"I don't know. The physician thinks it might be his heart," Daniel said. "Your mother sent for me and bade me to come here and fetch you. This is serious Regina, your father…"

"Nothing is going to happen to my father," she said.

"I pray not, but I'm asking you to return with me."

"She can not," the Dark One said.

She went to Daniel's side and faced Rumple. "I'm going."

"Regina."

"No," she said. "I am going and you will not stop me."

"So you would leave at this time when you are days away from your biggest success."

"I'm going."

"Fine, but you must return here in time," he said as if his permission was all that mattered.

Daniel looked between the two of them and then took Regina's hand. "Have someone saddle a horse for you."

"I don't need a horse. It's too slow."

Before he could say anything she used her magic to teleport the two of them back to her parents' home. They appeared in the bedroom where her father lay.

"Regina!" Cora said coming up to her.

Regina didn't acknowledge her, but merely came to the foot of the bed. Her father was pale and seemed smaller to her somehow.

"Father," she said.

His eyes remained closed and she looked at her mother, who gathered her up in a hug. She didn't even realize she had begun to cry.

….

Tomorrow was the day – the day she would leave this place. Emma thought she should feel scared but she wasn't, she was excited at the prospect of leaving it all behind and finding Regina. She had woken up early hoping this day would end quickly so tomorrow would get here.

She knew she was risking it all – a princess running away from her own wedding would not only be scandalous but it would be unforgivable. She was risking her future, maybe even her life although she doubted her father would allow it to be taken that far.

She watched the sun rise from her window and decided to ring for a handmaiden so she could start the day. Before she could the door opened and one of the servants came in. She was about to say something about not knocking but then she saw her full on.

"Tink!"

Tink rushed up to Emma, grabbing her arm and pushing some clothes into her other arm.

"Go change, we must leave."

"Tink, what's going on?" she said looking at the clothes which appeared to be boy's clothes as there was a pair of pants and a shirt.

Tink looked around like she expected or feared someone else would appear in the room. "There is no time to explain. Go change now. Pull your hair back with something as well."

Emma was confused, but she did as she was told, going behind the changing screen in her room and stripping down and putting on the clothes. There was a vest and soft-soled boots that went up midway to her calf. They were casual, but regal clothes – not those worn by peasantry. They were a little large. They also looked familiar to her although she didn't take the time to figure out why. Once she got her hair pulled back in a pony tail she re-emerged.

"There, now do you want to explain what is going on?"

"No time," she said tossing Emma a hat, which she put on without question. Pulling a sword and sheath out from her cloak, Tink also handed it over to Emma who put it on and then put on another cloak that Tink gave her. "Let's go."

She followed Tink out of the room and they went through the castle using the back ways that Emma had planned on using to escape. She realized by now that is what she was doing, but she wondered about the timing and the urgency that Tink was displaying. She didn't speak though, just kept moving. There were a couple of times they had to backtrack to avoid being seen, but soon they were moving through the laundry area where servants were working but didn't give them more than a cursory glance as they rushed through to the outside.

Still following Tink, they came to where a young boy was holding the reins of two horses. Tink paid him some coins and told him to leave and keep his mouth shut. She handed one of the reins to Emma.

"This is Daniel's horse," Emma said and as she said it, she realized why the clothes also seemed familiar.

"Don't say a word to anyone or look at anyone. Keep your head down," Tink said. "Be silent until we are away from here."

Emma nodded and then mounted the horse. She imagined she probably looked like a man which was clearly the effect Tink was going for. The streets were fairly empty at this hour although small bits of activity could be seen as the bake shops opened their doors for the early morning business. The sounds of a forge being tended to could be heard just above the clip clop of the horses.

As they neared a gate, Emma began to get worried. Her plan had been to leave at the height of activity to avoid being noticed, but there was no way for her to hide within a throng of people when there were none. She unconsciously slowed down.

"Sit straight up, but keep your face lowered," Tink hissed. "Act like you belong right where you are at. This is your only chance to see Regina and perhaps save us all."

At the mention of Regina, Emma did as instructed although she wondered what that last comment meant exactly. They came to the gate which was still in the process of being opened and they had to stop. Emma didn't look at anyone, but she kept her shoulders and back straight. Once the gate was opened the guards stood aside and they rode out without a word being said to them. Tink set a fast pace and they were soon galloping across the countryside. She tried to speak to Tink but she got told to be quiet until they stopped. They rode for a couple of hours at the fastest pace that Tink dared to run the horses. Finally, she stopped them to rest.

"Tell me what is happening. Where have you been?" Emma asked as she dismounted.

Tink again scanned the country side around them. "We can not stop for long," she said "We must get to Regina."

"Are you taking me to the Dark One's castle?"

"No. Regina is not there. She is at her parents' home. Something happened to her father and she left to be at his side."

"Is he ok?" Emma asked, knowing how much Regina loved her father.

"I do not know. I just hope we are not too late."

"Too late for what? Where were you all this time? Did you speak to Regina?"

"No," she shook her head. "When I left you I had every intention of going to her, but I was intercepted by the head of my order. The Blue Fairy. She stopped me from going to Regina. I don't know why, but she didn't want me going there. She … she clipped my wings."

"She clipped your wings, what does that mean?"

Tink shrugged, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is getting you to Regina."

"It matters to me," Emma said.

"Technically, I suppose it means I am no longer a fairy," she said. Emma saw the hurt in her features as she said it and she put a hand on Tink's shoulder.

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"Yes it is. She stopped you from getting to Regina. I am the one who asked you to go," Emma said stepping away from her. "Why does everything I do turn out so wrong?"

"Don't do that to yourself," Tink said. "I chose to go. You didn't force me. Emma, you've come so far, don't take a step back now. Regina needs you. Focus on that."

"I will help you get your wings back," Emma said. "Whatever it takes."

"Thank you."

"How is Regina doing?"

"I don't know. Once my wings got clipped I had no way to get to her. I went instead to Daniel. I was hoping he could help, but while I was there Regina's mother sent for him. I accompanied him and found out about Regina's father. Cora wanted Daniel to go and get Regina and bring her home. He sent me to get you – gave me those clothes and his horse, told me how to get through the castle."

"So you don't know if he actually got Regina to come back with him?"

"Trust me, he did. I've never seen such determination."

Emma wondered again about the depths of feelings Daniel had for Regina. She didn't want him getting hurt but at the same time she knew Regina was her soul mate.

"What did you mean when you said something about saving us all?"

Tink bit her bottom lip. "Something bad is going on. There is no reason for the Blue Fairy to do what she did unless she is working with the Dark One in some way. I don't know why she would, but she said that Regina had agreed to cast this curse and that it wasn't something that would just affect him and Regina, it would affect us all. I don't know what that means, but if it is something the Dark One wants to happen we have to stop it."

"She wouldn't do something that would harm us, she couldn't."

"You have to prepare yourself for the fact that Regina may not be as you remember her."

"I don't care," Emma said. "I love her and I know she loves me."

"That may not be enough."

"Then I will make it be enough."


	17. Chapter 17

Regina was sitting at her father's bedside when he opened her eyes.

"Regina," he said weakly.

"Father," she said smiling and gripping his hand tighter. She had kept a vigil at his bedside since she arrived, ignoring every thing else that was going on around her or their home. She vaguely recalled someone bringing in something for her to drink which she never quite got around to drinking. She had been lost in her own thoughts – thinking about her father and how he had to pull through this.

"Are you back? Are you home?"

"Yes, father," she said. Although she was sure he meant was she back in a permanent way, she didn't want to do anything to upset him. "I'm back."

"Good," he said. "Your mother and I have missed you. I've been worried."

"You don't have to worry about anything," Regina said, kissing his hand. "I'm fine. I'm here."

He moved his other hand and pointed at her. "What happened to your lip?"

"Nothing," she said. "I was clumsy and I fell."

"My daughter is not clumsy. You've always been graceful. You have the grace of a queen."

There was no way she was going to tell her father about the assassination attempts because she knew it would only upset him.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked, changing the subject.

"No," he said. "Knowing you are back and away from that monster is all I need."

His eyes were closing as exhaustion pulled him back to sleep. She continued to sit there, feeling bad about lying to him, but also relieved that he had clearly missed her. She hadn't been peering into her parents' lives like she had with Emma. The sting of her mother's hidden past still bothered her. Still, she felt shame now for not checking in on her parents.

She wondered if there were signs that she could have seen that would have prevented this. All her mother had said was that he had been more tired lately and he had a lot on her mind. It wasn't until now that she realized her being gone must have weighed heavily on him.

Pushing those thoughts from her mind, she stood, deciding she needed to get out of that room for a little while at least. She left the room and walked down to her father's library, figuring it would be empty as she wanted some time to herself. But when she entered she found her mother talking with Daniel. She backed away to leave.

"Regina," her mother said. "Please."

Keeping quiet she entered the room, shutting the door behind her.

"I will leave you two to speak in private," Daniel said, giving her mother a bow.

"Thank you Daniel, thank you for bringing my daughter home."

"You're welcome."

He left the room, but not before pausing slightly next to Regina and giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"He cares for you very much," Cora said after Daniel left the room.

"Still trying to find a suitable match for me mother?"

"No," she shook her head. "You found your match on your own with Emma."

Regina turned around to leave.

"Regina," Cora said. "This thing with your father … I love him. I think I loved him from the moment I first met him. His smile, his warmth. He helped me get through a difficult part of my life. When my brother died I turned to magic thinking it could take away my pain, but it couldn't. But your father, your father did. He brought me back from a very dark place and I have to believe that the same thing can happen for you."

Regina had turned back to face her as she spoke, but now she kept her eyes to the floor. She didn't want to think about the love she had lost.

"You do understand that the magic can't take away the pain you feel, right?" Cora asked her.

"The magic makes me powerful," Regina said, looking at her. "The magic makes me better than those silly women at court who think only of finding some suitable spouse. It makes me invincible."

"No it doesn't," Cora said. "It doesn't make you invincible. If anything it makes you think you are so that you don't see the next hurt coming when it does. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I was so tough on you; that I pushed you toward being one of those silly women at court. And I'm sorry I didn't fight for you and Emma with the queen, but I promise you Regina, I am ready to do that. I will find some way to make Queen Snow listen to reason. All I want is for you to be happy once more."

"It's too late for such things," Regina said.

"No," Cora said. "It's not too late for Emma and you or for you and I." She reached out for Regina, but her daughter pulled away from her, putting distance between them. Cora backed off as well, knowing she needed to tread carefully. One wrong word and she risked losing Regina forever.

Regina ended up taking a seat, but she didn't say anything and Cora saw for the first time how tired she seemed.

"Tell me what you want me to do," Cora said. "What can I do to ease the burdens that are weighing you down? Whatever you need from me, I will see it done."

Silence descended on the room and Cora waited patiently until Regina was ready to speak.

"Why is our world like this?" Regina said. "Why is that our stations in life determine who or what we can be? How is that fair?"

"It's not," Cora responded. "But it is the world we live in."

"But what if it didn't have to be that way? What if we lived in a world where we didn't have to be defined by whether we were royalty or not, or be in some hierarchy within that royalty?"

"You are talking about this curse that he wants you to cast, aren't you? I suppose he finally told you about it."

Regina nodded.

"What did he tell you exactly?"

"Why?"

"Because," Cora sighed. "He is the Dark One and he is not to be trusted. Besides I would like to know if what he told you matches what he told me all those years ago."

Regina told her what she had been told and the questions she had asked about it. Cora had begun pacing about part way through the telling. When she finished Cora took a seat beside her.

"I know you feel like life has been unfair to you and that the circumstances of your birth and our family's social standing is what prevented you from being with Emma, but don't you see that this curse, this world that you would create is the same thing. You would put our family in power over Emma's and you think this is fair in some way."

"Aren't you tired of going to court and pretending to like the fact that Queen Snow sits on the throne and has all the power?"

"She was my friend once," Cora said. "I remember we used to be at court together when she was still just a princess and we would laugh and we would gossip and we didn't think about such things as social standing. It meant as little to me back then as it did to her. Perhaps if I had remained friends with her she would not have been as opposed to you and Emma being together and for that at least I am sorry."

"Will you tell me about him, about my uncle? You shouldn't have had to mourn him alone all these years."

"I haven't, not really," Cora said. "In her own way Snow too has mourned him."

"But she is the reason he was killed."

"No, she isn't. It's taken me a long time to see that, but it wasn't her fault. There was a war going on. You have grown up in a time when the war was over, but at its height there were those who wondered if we would be overrun completely. John, my brother, he was so brave and talented and I thought he was invincible. But even with my faith in his abilities, I was afraid when he volunteered to fight. I didn't want to lose him and so I went to Snow and I asked her to plead on my behalf to her father to ensure John was kept away from the fighting. Things were going badly for our side though and they needed knights like John and so he was sent. I cried when he left, but I still thought he would return until the day a couple of the king's guards showed up to tell us he had been killed in battle. Snow came at once to be at my side, but I didn't want to see her or speak to her. Her father doted on her and I believed that if she really tried to keep John from the front lines there was no way her father would turn her down. John was very handsome and he liked Snow and for a while there I even thought that they might marry, but then Charming came into the picture about the same time as John was to be sent away to war. In my mind I believed Snow didn't try hard enough with her father because maybe she didn't want a rival to her hand around her new beau. When I finally did speak to her, it was after John's body had been brought home and we buried him. She and I exchanged unpleasant words and our friendship was shattered forever. I left, I sought out someone who could teach me more about the magic which I knew I had in me and I ended up with him. You may think I don't understand what it is that you are seeking with your magic, but I do. I know because I have been there too."

Cora was surprised when Regina leaned against her.

"It hurts so much," Regina said and while Cora couldn't see her face she suspected Regina was crying. "After all this time, it still hurts."

"I know," Cora said putting an arm around her. "I know it does."

….

Regina felt a little odd riding on a horse. She hadn't done it in so long that she figured she might be a little sore later. Still, she loved the feel of the wind blowing through her hair as she picked up speed.

She needed to leave the homestead and clear her head. After speaking with her mother, she had sat and had some food with Daniel. Neither said much – but she appreciated that Daniel didn't press her to talk about anything. He seemed to sense that she was emotionally exhausted from her talk with her mother.

It wasn't just emotionally. She was also physically tired but she needed to get out of there. Before leaving, she again sat at her father's bedside for a while as he slept. She had a lot on her mind and she wished he was awake and well as he always gave her sound counsel when she needed it. They didn't always agree on topics but she trusted her father to listen to her and tell her things in a way that didn't sound like he was lecturing.

It was getting dark and Daniel wanted to accompany her, but she assured him that she would fine. Her magic would keep her protected from any threats.

Whether she was conscious of it or not she was nearing the place where she used to meet Emma. Instead of moving away from it, she swung her horse in that direction. As she got there she saw another horse was tethered to a tree and she slowed up, wondering who had discovered this spot. She knew she should probably move along but she dismounted and tied her own horse up.

Walking through the woods, she kept an eye on her surroundings. While it was doubtful there was anything here to pose a danger to her she remained cautious.

She came to the clearing and saw a petite looking man with his back to her. Then he turned.

"Regina?" Emma said in disbelief.

Regina didn't respond as she took in the sight of Emma dressed as man standing in the very place where they had once shared so many precious moments.

"Regina," Emma repeated, this time coming toward her. Regina stepped back as she neared and the action was enough to get Emma to stop where she was at. "How is your father?"

It may have been the last thing Regina expected to come from Emma's mouth. She looked around her – checking for the trap that this must be.

"We're alone," Emma reassured her. "It's just you and me here, like it used to be."

Regina didn't want to be there suddenly. An onslaught of emotions hit her and she actually took several steps back – her mind telling her to flee this place.

"Wait," Emma said. "Please. Please don't go. I came here to find you. I need to talk to you. Please. Will you stay and listen?"

"How did you know I would be here?" Regina asked, her eyes still searching the area behind Emma wondering if the queen's guards were hidden there somewhere.

"I didn't know you would be here," Emma said. "I was on my way to your parents' home; I heard about your father. Is he ok?"

"I don't know," Regina said. "If you were headed there, why are you here?"

"I didn't know what would happen if I just showed up there, so Tink went ahead to see if you were there first."

"Who is Tink?"

"We're alone," Emma said, as she kept seeing Regina's eyes dart back and forth. "There is no one here to interrupt us this time. There is no one here but me."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring to me?" Regina said, as she walked to her left. She couldn't risk turning her back on Emma, but she needed to see if they were indeed alone. Emma moved with her – keeping an eye on her.

"I would hope it would be," Emma said. "What happened at the ball, you have to know that wasn't … I had nothing to do with that. I wasn't trying to have you captured. When I saw you there in my room, my heart soared. I missed you so much, I have missed you since the day those riders took you away. And yes I know that was my fault; I trusted the Dark One and I came out as the fool. I swear I never intended for any of this to happen. I only wanted us to be together. That is all I have ever wanted since the moment I saw you in my garden."

"I wish I had never entered your garden that day," Regina said.

"You don't mean that," Emma said. Already she felt the desperation creeping into her voice. She knew this was most likely her only shot at this and she had been caught unaware when Regina entered the clearing. She thought she would have more time to collect her thoughts before speaking with her.

"Oh no?" Regina said and her eyebrow raised slightly as did the corners of her mouth into a sly smile. "As far as I can tell the only good thing to come from my meeting you was learning that I have this magic, magic I will use to destroy you, your family and your fiancé Killian."

Emma did not like the way Regina was looking at her – it wasn't the way Regina was supposed to look at her.

"He's not my fiancé. I was forced into that and do you really think if I had any intention of marrying him I would be here now," Emma said moving toward her. "I'm here for one reason and that is to see the woman I love and make her see that I love her and only her and hope that she sees that too so we can stop this, whatever this is that has happened to us. Regina, it's me; I'm standing here in our place ready to do anything to make you see that you are the only one I want to be with. We can run away together like we had planned. We could go to your parents' and seek asylum with them until my parents see that the only way I ever return as princess is with you by my side. If they can't accept that then they can find someone else to give their kingdom to because I will renounce any claim to it if I don't get to be with you."

Her little speech caused Regina to back away from her so Emma moved with her, coming closer until Regina raised her hand out in front her. Her magic flung Emma backward and she landed several feet away from Regina. She looked up at Regina who was now sneering at her.

"You dare to use my love for you as a ploy. What was that, were you trying to get close to me to capture me and take me back to your dungeon?" Regina said. "If I didn't have something so much bigger planned for you, I would destroy you now."  
"I would … I would never use our love as a ploy," Emma said scrambling to her feet. "Our love, not just yours. I don't know what the Dark One has told you but he's been manipulating you, making you believe things that aren't true."

"Look at my lip. Do you see the scar? Is that not real? Your assassin did that. If I hadn't have woken in time he would have succeeded in killing me," she said. "After your first one failed, I assume you got a better one. He made it all the way into my room as I slept. I woke to him standing over my bed with the knife he was about to stab me with. This happened in the ensuing struggle. Do you have any idea what it has been like to have to constantly be on guard for someone trying to kill you?"

"I didn't send an assassin after you. I wouldn't. I couldn't. I love you. I will say it a million times if I have to, but I love you," Emma said. "He is lying to you. He even made a deal with my mother that she would keep you away from me and in return he would take you away with him to some other world. He was with my mother that night at the ball after you disappeared. He tricked me and he tricked you."

"No," Regina said shaking her head, but Emma could see Regina was at least thinking about what she said. "He has shown me who I really am."

"No," Emma said. This time she rushed forward and she took Regina's hand in hers. "No he hasn't. Please tell me it's not too late." She pressed her lips to Regina's, but Regina didn't kiss back. She tried again, but still no reaction. When she tried the third time with nothing to show for it, she stared into Regina's eyes – pleading with her.

Regina pulled away but Emma kept a hold of her. "It can't be too late," Emma said. "I don't accept that. I don't accept that I would meet you and fall in love with you for it to end like this. Please. I didn't send an assassin after you. I don't want to marry Killian. I only want you. Please Regina, I want to be able to hold you in my arms and have you look at me like you used to – like you loved me and you wanted what I wanted. Please, my heart only belongs to you."

"You gave me over to him," Regina said. "I was so scared and you gave me to those men."

"I know, I'm sorry. I was desperate. I didn't want to be married to anyone but you and you said we couldn't run away because of your family so when the Dark One appeared to me, I took his deal. I'm sorry," Emma said. "I will do anything to make it up to you. Please don't say it's over between us; it can't be. Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't still feel the love for me that I feel for you."

Regina did look at her and Emma hoped she was conveying the love she felt so that Regina would see it and believe her.

"Me loving you wasn't the problem. I was fool for you," Regina said as she broke eye contact. "And the moment I am out of your sight, you are kissing your new love – the soon to be prince of the realm. If you loved me, you would not be doing that. You wouldn't have become engaged to him if you loved me. No, I was an inconvenience to you once you were done with your little dalliance so you got rid of me."

"No," Emma said. "I've never kissed him. The most he has done is kiss me on my hand and I will not kiss him. I will not marry him. I will not share my bed with him. You know how my mother is – she forced that engagement upon me after … after I told her the truth about us."

"You told her the truth?"

"Yes," Emma said giving her a weak smile. "I admit I didn't intend to like I did, but I hadn't heard from the Dark One. He told me he would contact me when it was safe for me to come find you, but I never heard from him and I was getting depressed and she was pushing me toward making a decision about marriage and I let it slip. I told her I was in love with you and you were the only one I wanted to be with. She reacted poorly, but I haven't wavered in my love for you. My love will never waver. The question is do you still love me?"

Regina moved away from her again, but Emma wasn't going to allow it. She grabbed Regina, forcing her to face her.

"Do you still love me?"

She looked into Regina's eyes and she could see uncertainty in those eyes. Her only hope was that the uncertainty was about whether Emma loved her and not being uncertain about her own love for Emma.

"I still love you," Regina finally admitted.

This time Emma pulled her in for a hug. She was afraid if she let go of her that she would disappear. "I love you," she whispered into Regina's ear. "I love you so much and I will make this up to you, I swear. I'm never going to let you go." She pulled back but only so far as needed to press her lips to Regina's once more.

Regina kissed her back and it served to ignite Emma's passion even more. She had missed Regina so much, missed being able to touch her, kiss her and hold her. She kissed harder and faster, kissing her like she had never kissed her before. They had never done much more than kiss and touch a little, but now Emma felt an urgency and a need to show Regina that she was the only one she ever wanted. Pausing only a moment, she stepped back and took off the cloak she wore and laid it on the ground. Swooping back to take possession of Regina's lips she gently guided Regina down the ground so they might lay together.

"I love you," she repeated. "From this moment on, I will let nothing separate us ever again."

She kissed her again before Regina could say anything.


	18. Chapter 18

Emma held Regina close to her, as they lay there on the ground – their clothes scattered about them – and only the cloak to cover their naked bodies. They had been laying there for quite some time, each woman with her own thoughts.

For Emma it was a sense of disbelief. She could hardly imagine that she was once again with the woman she loved. They had consummated that love and for Emma at least, she felt it was akin to marriage. She would never be intimate with another person and while she didn't want to think about the challenges they yet faced, she hoped that now that the barrier had been crossed her mother would see that Regina was the only one for her.

It was dark out and if nothing else the temperatures which had begun to drop would force them up soon. Emma was surprised Tink had not returned yet, although she was also secretly happy about it as well. The last thing she needed was their fairy godmother showing up while she and Regina were naked in the middle of the woods.

"I love you," Emma said. She brushed a piece of hair back from Regina's face and then gave her a gentle kiss.

"I love you too," Regina said.

Emma started to laugh, which made Regina sit up. "Sorry," Emma said, also sitting up. "I'm just so happy. I had almost given up hope that I was ever going to see you again, much less get to hold you in my arms once more. But here we are and nothing is going to tear us apart again."

She saw the look of uncertainty in Regina's face when she said this. Regina was now looking away from her and Emma cupped her chin and pulled her back to facing her. "I mean it, I'm going to do what I should have done in the first place, I'm going to fight for you."

"It's not that, it's …"

The sound of hoof beats – lots of hoof beats in the distance had both women on their feet. Pulling on their clothes, they carefully made their way to the edge of the woods where their horses were tethered. They could hear the hoof beats getting closer and they saw the first of the riders far off. It was two columns of armed knights.

"Those are our guards," Emma said. "I recognize the column formation. My mother must have sent them out in search of me."

"They aren't searching," Regina said. "They are headed toward a destination – they are headed toward my father's place. I have to get back there."

"We might be able to get there first if we ride hard," Emma said reaching for the pommel of the saddle.

"I can't risk it, I'll use my magic. You stay here."

"No," Emma said, and she turned back to Regina. "Together. We are in this together. I'm not leaving you. I meant what I said. They won't dare do anything to your family while I am there."

"Take my hand," Regina said holding it out for her. As soon as they were connected Regina closed her eyes, called up her magic and when she opened them, they were standing there in the main hall of her father's estate and Regina wavered a little.

"Are you ok?" Emma asked with concern, but Regina nodded that she was fine.

"Emma!"

Tink approached the two of them, pausing a moment in seeing Regina. "I see you two finally found your way back to each other."

"Regina, this is Tink. She's … she's a friend."

"I need to find my mother," Regina said, letting go of Emma's hand and moving away. Emma was close on her heels as was Emma.

"My mother has sent soldiers," Emma explained to Tink as they followed Regina. "They appear to be on their way here."

"How many?"

"Enough to cause trouble."

"I will not have them disturbing my father while he rests," Regina said. "I will do whatever I have to prevent that from happening even if it means raining fireballs down on their heads."

Emma glanced at Tink who gave her a noncommittal look.

"Hey, I don't think we need to have a confrontation like that," Emma said. "I will speak to them when they arrive. They are my people."

Regina spun around on her heels to face Emma. "You just said that force that is riding toward us is big enough to cause trouble. What do you think they are going to do when they get here? Do you really think you will be able to go out there and tell them turn around and leave?"

"I don't know, but me trying is better than the alternative," Emma responded. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you or your family. I promise. No harm will come to any of you."

Regina's countenance softened. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just … my dad …"

"I know," Emma said taking her hand. "I'm worried too, but I would let them run me down with their pikes before I would let them harm those you care about."

She gave Regina a quick peck on the lips and they went off again in search of Cora. They found her in the room with Henry and Regina asked her to come outside as her father slept.

"What is it?" Cora said seeing the anxious looks of the three women. She had been surprised when Tink had showed up there earlier looking for Regina and when Tink told her that she had come with Emma and Emma had run away in order to find Regina. She had told Tink that Regina had left to go on a ride and the strange young woman had been there waiting ever since.

Regina told her mother of the riders that were on their way there and her fear that they might upset her father.

"Come, we will go out to the gate and see what they want when they arrive," Cora said.

The women followed her out, only to find Daniel was there already having been warned by the night watch that riders were approaching. If he thought it odd that Emma was there with Regina, he didn't comment on it as they waited for the riders to approach. The gate was down, but the five of them stood there.

Finally the riders came into view and Emma was surprised to see her parents were there with them.

"Open these gates," Snow commanded.

Cora looked at her own guards and knowing she had no choice, she nodded at them to open the gates. Once the gate was opened the riders came in and surrounded them.

"Take her into custody," Snow said pointing at Regina, who conjured up a fireball in her hand.

"No," Emma said, standing in front of Regina. "Mother, don't do this."

"She has left me no choice. You have left me no choice."

"But you have a choice, you can let me be with the one I love," Emma said.

Regina stepped to Emma's side. She had extinguished the fireball but she glared at Snow. "We've played this game once before your majesty," she said. "You will not take me into custody. You and your soldiers will leave this place now."

Snow laughed. "You presume to give me orders."

"I would consider it more of a warning," Regina said. "My father is ill and if you cause him any harm by your actions I will end your reign."

"See, she speaks treason," Snow said to those around her. "Take her now."

Two guards had dismounted and they approached Regina but again Emma got in front of her. This time she pulled out her sword and pointed it at the guards.

"Have them stand down," Emma said to her mother even as she kept her eyes on the soldiers who were clearly confused as to what they should do with their own princess holding a sword against them.

"Your majesty," Cora said stepping forward. "As Regina said, my husband is not well. Please, remove your guards to beyond the gates and you and the king should come inside – bring a small contingent of soldiers if you wish – but let us talk about this. Please."

Cora even bowed before Snow in making her request.

"Stand down," she said the guards. She looked at Cora. "We shall speak, but my soldiers stay where they are at."

"Thank you," Cora said. She looked at Emma and Regina. "Put the sword down. We shall all go inside and we shall talk." She could see that Regina wasn't putting much credence into the idea of talking. She was sure if Emma hadn't have intervened, Regina would have used her magic on those whom Snow had brought with her.

They went inside, Snow, Charming and five armed guards following. Cora led them to the library – the guards stayed outside and Cora went in with only Emma and Regina as Tink and Daniel were also asked to stay outside. Emma had taken Regina's hand in hers the moment they began walking inside and they stayed that way even as they faced Emma's parents.

"I don't really see where there is much to discuss," Snow said. "Emma is engaged and you are interfering with matters way above your station in life."

"I am only engaged to Killian because you forced me," Emma said. "I love Regina. She is who I want to be with and she is who I will be with. Mother you can either support us or not, but if you choose not to then you and I have nothing to say to each other any longer. I shall renounce my crown."

"Emma, be reasonable," Charming said. "You can't renounce your crown. You are our only daughter. You are the only heir to the kingdom. If you do this, you won't just be affecting your life, you will be affecting the lives of every one in the kingdom. We must have a successor for the day your mother and I depart from this world. To do otherwise would invite chaos and revolt. Every lord and lady in the realm would be scrambling to take control. There would be bloodshed."

Emma hadn't really thought of this. Yes she knew she was the only heir, but she hadn't thought of it terms of what that meant for the kingdom itself. She glanced at Regina who had a hardened look on her face. Emma felt bad because she knew she was responsible for this sternness in Regina.

She yearned for the days when Regina would run into her arms, a smile beaming on her face and neither of them had the worries they now had. Emma turned back to her parents.

"I have no desire to cause strife within our kingdom," she said. "But at Regina's side is where I choose to be."

"You say you don't want to cause strife yet you are doing the one thing which will surely cause strife," Snow said. "Emma, you have been working hard these last few months to truly understand what it takes to lead, to be a ruler of a kingdom. You know that tough decisions have to be made. As rulers we can't afford to live life simply for ourselves. We have to put the needs of our people above any selfish wants that we may have. I know you know this. Please my daughter. The marriage contract has already been written up. You must return with us to the castle. You will marry Killian."

"Snow, the girls are in love with each other," Cora said. "Can't you see that?"

Snow walked up to Cora. "You will address me as queen or your majesty," she said. "And what I see is your daughter has wormed her way into my daughter's life and is trying to make her turn her back on her family and her duty. I wouldn't be surprised if she has put a spell on Emma. I would expect nothing less from your daughter."

"If you are looking to punish me, then fine, come at me directly your majesty," Cora said. "Leave Regina out of it."

"Oh, but she has put herself in the middle of it. And what do you have to say for yourself?" she said turning toward Regina. "Would you have Emma give up her crown, turn our kingdom into ruins over some silly love affair or was this your plan all along? Did you target Emma because she is everything you can never be?"

Regina looked at the queen, but she didn't speak.

"Your disagreement isn't with her," Emma said. "It's with me. How many times mother, how many times must I tell you that Regina is the one I love? I grew up looking at you and father and seeing the love you two share and I have always wanted a love like that and I found it with her. I've pledged my love to her and we have consummated that love."

The declaration made everyone in the room pause.

"You little whore," Snow said to Regina. "Guards!"

The five soldiers came into the room with Daniel and Tink right behind them.

"Arrest her now," Snow declared.

Before Emma could pull her sword out once more Snow grabbed her arm to restrain her.

"Make this difficult my daughter and I swear you will see your beloved hung from the highest ramparts of our castle," Snow said quietly enough so only Emma could hear. It was enough to make Emma stop a moment.

The guards came toward Regina who called up her magic, ready to end this threat once and for all.

"What is going on here?" a new voice said.

Henry had come into the doorway and was using it to support himself in his weakened state. He took a few steps into the room and then collapsed.

"Father!" Regina yelled as she pushed through the guards and reached him. Daniel had been closest and actually caught him before he fell completely and then eased him onto the ground. Henry's eyes were closed and his breaths were shallow. Cora joined them on the floor, grabbing her husband's hand.

"Henry," Cora said, but he didn't respond.

Regina felt her heart thudding inside of her. This is what she had feared – that this commotion would harm her father. She watched as his chest moved up and down at what seemed like an impossibly slow pace. Her world had been reduced to those small breaths coming in and out of her father. It held her in its grip until she heard her name being called out.

Looking up she saw Snow and several guards forcing Emma from the room. Regina got to her feet, a fireball was in her hand in the same second and she had a clear shot at the queen.

"Regina," the gruff voice of her father said.

Her eyes went directly to his – those kind eyes which she had come to love from the moment she first realized this man was her father. The kindness was still there in those eyes, but there was something else now too and she recognized it as fear. She extinguished the flame in her hand and knelt beside him once more.

"Daniel, get a couple of our guards. Let's get him back to his room," Cora said.

It was late in the evening when they had gotten Henry settled and the doctor had seen him. He had once again fallen into a deep sleep. Cora and Regina had not left his side.

"I'm sorry about Emma," Cora said after they had been sitting there in silence for what seemed like hours. "I really am."

"It's not your fault," Regina replied.

Cora observed her daughter. She had gotten up maybe 20 minutes ago and was standing near the window looking out with her arms crossed in front of her. She didn't like the silence that had consumed Regina all of a sudden, or the look of resignation she now had.

"Perhaps if I had interceded with the queen before all of this," Cora said.

"It wouldn't have made a difference," Regina said. "The queen would never have allowed us to be together. That family has done nothing but brings ours down. Look at us. Who knows if father will recover. The moment he passes, the queen will probably seize our properties and turn you out if you are lucky."

"Your father will be fine."

"Will he? And how do you know this?" Regina raised her voice. "Do you now have the power of clairvoyance mother? Is this another thing you have kept from me?"

"No, but I do know you can't lose hope."

Regina smiled at her and Cora saw it was the same smirking smile Regina had when Cora had seen her at the Dark One's castle.

"I don't need hope," she said. "All of this, this means nothing. By morning this will all be nothing."

Cora stood. "What do you mean by that?"

"Did you wonder why I didn't use my magic immediately against Snow and her people?" Regina said. "I could have, and I wanted to, but I was already weakened from transporting here and then again when I brought Emma back here."

Cora took a step toward her. "What have you done Regina?"

"I cast the curse. I did it the day before I came here. It's set to consume this world in the morning. It took so much power, more power than I thought I was capable of, but I did it mother," she said proudly. "I did what you wouldn't or what you couldn't do. I am going to shake the very foundations of our world and when the dust settles there will be no Queen Snow. And the thing is, I was doubting myself – Emma made me doubt myself when she convinced me once again that she and I would be together. How naïve of me to fall for that again. But never again."

Cora came right up to her and gripped her upper arms. "You must stop this curse."

"She can't." Both women turned to see Rumplestiltskin standing there. He walked over to the bed and looked down at Henry. "I do hope he lasts until the morning. It won't due for you to be in this new world without your parents."

"You monster," Cora said. "How dare you make my daughter do this thing."

"I didn't make her do anything," he replied. "She did it of her own free will." He walked over to Regina. "I was beginning to worry as you had not returned. I thought I should pop in and see how things were going."

"This is none of your concern," Regina said.

"Actually it is," he said stepping away from her. "You see, your mother isn't entirely wrong about me. I do have specific reasons for why I do the things I do. As you know I needed this curse to be cast to get to the world where my son is. I needed you to go with me as you have the power to cross the boundaries of the world you have created. You will be able to go out into that world."

"Yes, yes, you have told me that you wish me to find your son," Regina said. She was tired and frustrated and she wanted all of this to be over. She had changed her mind about wanting to remember her own life here. It was the Dark One that had convinced her that it would cause her less pain if she didn't remember. She had questioned it at the time because she wondered how she could find his son if she didn't remember, but he had assured that even in the new identity the curse would give her that the magic would compel her to go find his son. "I am sure once we are there, my magic will find your son and you can have your happy little reunion."

"There are only a couple of problems with that. One being, that the world we are going to has no magic therefore you won't have magic there."

"What?"

"Did I forget to mention that? Oh well, it's just a small detail. Besides once the curse is broken magic will return."

"You said the curse couldn't be broken except by true love's kiss."

"Exactly," he laughed. "That is why I needed you to bring the others from the kingdom to this world. Specifically I needed Emma."

"But …" she said started to say. She began to realize not just his manipulation of her, but what she had done in casting this curse. While she couldn't craft every little detail of people's lives she could make certain adjustments as it were. For instance, in this world her parents would be in power, not Emma's. Then there was the other thing she had built into her once she decided she didn't want to retain her own memories. "But in this world, I will hate Emma."

The Dark One laughed once more. "That is what will make it so much fun to watch."

Regina called up a fireball. "How do I stop this curse from happening?"

"You can't," he said. "You can't until you break it by sharing true love's kiss with Emma. Besides there is something else you should consider."

He stepped closer to the bed. "Your father, in this world he may very well die. But in the next world, well, that is a world unlike our own – one where the medicinal arts are more powerful. You try and keep this curse from happening and you might as well bury your father now."

Regina looked toward the bed where her father lay. As soon as her eyes were off of the Dark One, he disappeared once more.

"Oh Regina," Cora said.

"What have I done?" she cried.

Her mother embraced her. She didn't say anything, knowing nothing would help as her daughter felt the magnitude of the decisions she had made. And she feared the repercussions of those decisions were not done yet.

…

Cora was still at her husband's side when she heard the first rooster crow as dawn was breaking. She held onto his hand praying that in this new world they would be going to that for once the Dark One wasn't lying and Henry would be ok.

…

Daniel stood on the ramparts of the Mills homestead with Tink. They had learned from Cora that a curse was coming at dawn. He had a million questions he wanted to ask but could tell from Cora's telling of it that questions weren't welcome at this time. He did ask her where Regina was and Cora had answered that she did not know.

"What do you think it will be like?" Tink asked. "This other world?"

"I don't know," Daniel said. "All we can do is face it head on."

….

The Dark One sat in his study, his feet propped up on his desk. A smile was wide across his face and he laughed as he felt the magic of the curse begin to take hold.

….

The pounding at the door had Snow and Charming up on their feet.

"What is it?" Snow demanded to the guard who was at their door. She was tired after the long ride back to the castle last night and was not looking forward to the battle with her daughter today. But she swore that Emma would be putting on that wedding dress and joining with Killian in marriage.

"Sorry, my queen," the guard said. "But there appears to be a large purple cloud that stretches as far as the eye can see and it's headed this way."

"What?"

"No one knows but people are beginning to panic."

Snow rushed to her own balcony and peered out into the distance where the cloud was coming toward them. She somehow knew Regina was behind this.

…

Emma too saw the cloud coming their way. She was sitting at her window where she had been most of the night thinking of someway to escape this place when she saw it.

"Emma."

She turned with a smile and ran into Regina's arms. She kissed her over and over again, but Regina pulled away from her and Emma could see she had been crying.

"Your father?"

"He lives," she said.

"That is good news," Emma said feeling the relief wash over her. When her mother had effectively abducted her, the last vision of Regina she had gotten was her face filled with worry over her father. "Have you come to take me away?"

"No," Regina said shaking her head. She wasn't making eye contact with Emma which made her nervous. "I'm sorry."

Emma glanced back toward the window although she wasn't sure why she did it and then back at Regina. "Why are you saying you are sorry?"

"I just am," Regina said. "I've been a fool. And I'm going to pay for being one. But I wanted to come here and tell you I am sorry and tell you that I love you."

"I love you too but you're scaring me."

"I know," Regina said crying again. "Will you hold me please?"

"Sure," Emma said, still uncertain about what was going on, but she wrapped her arms around Regina and felt Regina's head fall against her. She kept holding her even as the purple cloud of magic enveloped them both.

…

Outside of Storybrooke – 15 years later

Regina rubbed at her eyes as she drove the darkened road back toward her home town. She would be there in a matter of minutes and like every time she had returned since the day she left to go to college she didn't feel the least bit nostalgic about it.

Storybrooke, Maine she thought, the town where nothing ever happens and no one but her seemed to ever want to leave. It was actually nearing three years since she had been back there, despite the urging of her parents, and she wouldn't be returning now if her mother hadn't called her that day to tell her that her father was in the hospital. They suspected he had a heart attack. Regina had dropped everything to drive the seven hours to get from Philadelphia back to Storybrooke.

She had spoken to her mother several times during the day to get updates on her father's condition. Even though the hour was late, she would be going directly to the hospital to see him.

As she passed the Welcome to Storybrooke sign at the town border she shivered a little. She always felt a brush of coldness when she crossed in or out of the town line and she always took it as a sign that this wasn't where she was supposed to be.

No, she had turned her back on this town a long time ago. There was too much heartache here for her to ever call it home again.


	19. Chapter 19

Regina strode into the hospital and took the elevator up to the second floor. She was leaning against the wall for the short ride up. It was nearly 3 a.m. and she was tired. But she wasn't willing to merely go to her parents' home to stay the night and return in the morning. No, she had driven all this way she was going to see her father now.

Getting off the elevator, she followed the signs toward the right room.

"Miss?"

She turned toward the nurses' desk and then went up to it.

"I'm here to see my father Henry Mills," she said to the woman there.

"I'm afraid visiting hours are long over."

"Of that I have no doubt," Regina said. "But I just drove seven hours to get here and I am not leaving until I see my father. I won't wake him or anything. I just need to see him."

The nurse gave her a once over with her eyes before nodding. Regina thanked her and then continued on to the room. She was glad the woman hadn't given her a hard time because she really didn't want to have to bring her mother into this.

Cora Mills was the chief administrator here at Storybrooke Hospital – and Regina was sure that was part of why the nurse let her pass so easily. Regina was used to getting preferential treatment in this town because of who her parents were.

When she got to the room, she made sure she was quiet as she approached the bed. Her father was asleep and looked rather peaceful, if not a little older than she last saw him. Suddenly she felt guilty about being away for so long. Storybrooke was where her parents belonged, where they were happy living their lives, but Regina had longed for something more—something bigger than this town. Her parents never quite seemed to understand that.

The last time she was home her dad had tried to convince her to stay – even offering her a job with the city. She had turned him down and hadn't returned since, in part because she was afraid if she had she might actually consider it.

There was a time when she thought she would never actually leave this town. She had a good childhood here. Her mother was a doctor who had only moved into the administrator spot a few years ago. Before that she specialized in pediatrics. There wasn't a kid in this town that her mother hadn't treated most likely. Her father had a successful law practice until he decided to add the title of councilman, and then two years later he ran for mayor and won in a landslide.

Regina sometimes wondered if part of the reason she stayed away from Storybrooke was because here she was the daughter of Cora and Henry Mills. Outside of town she got to be just Regina Mills.

She stayed there in the seat next to his bed until she began to fall asleep. Yawning, she took that as a sign she should get to her parents' house. She would return in the morning.

Thanking the nurse on the way out, she went down to the parking lot and had almost made it to the car when she heard "Regina."

Turning, she felt her breath catch a moment as the blonde woman approached her. Wearing a red leatherjacket and a pair of jeans that her badge was clipped to, Emma Swan came up to her.

"Hey," Emma said.

"Miss Swan," Regina said.

"Really Regina," Emma replied. "That's a little childish don't you think?"

"If you'll excuse me Miss Swan, I was just leaving," she turned from Emma and got closer to her car, hoping this would be the end of any conversation between them.

"I was sorry to hear about your dad," Emma said hurriedly. "I … um, I wondered if you would be coming back and then one of the other deputies reported a car coming into town, I knew it had to be you. It's good to see you again, even if the circumstances are shitty. You look great."

Regina glanced back at her a moment and then turned and unlocked her car door. "Perhaps you should get back to work Deputy Swan," Regina said and she got into her car and shut the door before anything else could be said. As she pulled away she cursed a little as she took a peek at the rearview mirror and saw Emma standing there watching her as she left.

She sped to her parents' house but ended up parking her car a half a block away so she could compose herself before going in. Her heart was beating quickly and she needed to calm down. She didn't understand why seeing Emma after all this time continued to affect her. It shouldn't – what they had together had ended a long time ago.

"You're acting like a stupid school girl," she said out loud.

Emma was the last person she had wanted to see so of course fate would make her one of the first ones she would see.

The last time she had been in town she had successfully made the trip without having to see her which meant it had been nearly five years since they had been face-to-face, much less spoken to each other. Five years and Emma still had the ability to make her feel like she was the only one in the world when those eyes were locked onto her. Five years and Regina still felt the anger of Emma's betrayal and that was always the emotion that overrode all others when they were together.

She sent up a silent prayer that her father would be ok and out of the hospital soon. The sooner he was home, the sooner she could leave.

Putting the car in gear she traveled the rest of the way to her childhood home. Once she parked the car, she grabbed her bags and went up to the front door. She had been delayed in getting here in part because she had searched her apartment from top to bottom to find the key to the house. She had stopped keeping it on her key ring a long time ago and since she hadn't been here in so long it had taken her a while to find where she had stowed it away last.

As she was putting the key in the lock, the door opened and her mother was standing there and pulling her in for a hug.

"Why didn't you call me when you were nearing town?" Cora asked.

"I thought you would be asleep," Regina said, picking up her bags and coming in as her mother closed and locked the door behind her. "Besides I stopped by the hospital first to see dad. He was resting comfortably."

"I couldn't sleep," Cora said. "I just keep thinking about your father and how he should be up there in bed with me."

"How bad is it?"

She could tell that her mother had been putting off telling her when they had talked on the phone. Her mother was always horrible at being anything less than straight-forward. It often made Regina wonder what she was like when delivering bad news to patients.

"Why don't you take your bags up to your room and I will put some water on for some tea?" Cora suggested. She took a couple of steps toward the kitchen.

"Mom." Cora turned and saw Regina standing there. "How bad is it?"

"Your father didn't just have a heart attack today. He had one a few weeks ago that went undetected and this one, well this one took its toll on him."

"How is that possible that he had a heart attack weeks ago and it went undetected? What kind of doctors are you employing over there? Why didn't you call me when it happened?"

"There is nothing wrong with our doctors. Dr. Whale is a quite a good surgeon. The reason it went undetected was because your father never went to the doctor. He was feeling badly a few weeks ago but thought he was having a bout of indigestion or something. It wasn't as if I hadn't noticed but he said he was fine and so I didn't press the issue, especially when he did seem ok. Then it happened again only worse and tomorrow we will meet with Dr. Whale so we can discuss options – most likely a bypass surgery as your father has blockages to his heart. If it isn't too serious we are talking about stents being put in. If it is more serious, we may be talking about a pacemaker. We will know more tomorrow."

Regina nodded. "I'm tired, I'm going to go and try to sleep so we can get to the hospital in the morning and find out for sure."

Lifting her bags once more she headed for the stairs.

"Regina," Cora said, waiting for her daughter to turn toward her. "It's good to have you home. Your father will be extremely happy to see you."

"I wish I could say it's good to be home," Regina said before heading upstairs. She went to her room, which looked exactly as it did the last time she was here with the exception of new bedding. Her mother had been talking for years about converting it to a guest room or an office space. Regina figured her mother only talked about it to see if Regina would object to it and she never did. She had made it clear that she didn't care what they chose to do with the space.

There really weren't any personal touches in it anyway that made it seem like it was anything but a guest room. All her items had been boxed up years ago and were probably still in the basement. She hadn't taken much with her when she had left for good.

Despite being tired she put her things away. She walked into the bathroom that was off of her bedroom and saw that her mother must have stocked it up with towels and toiletries for her stay. Seeing the stack of towels up on the shelf she wondered how long she would be staying. Based on what her mother had told her it was clear her father wouldn't be getting out of the hospital tomorrow or the next day.

She washed her face and brushed her teeth. After changing her clothes she slipped into bed and turned the light off. She had no sooner done so when she heard her phone beep. Reaching for it, she read. "Did you make it there safely? How is your father?"

Regina smiled a little. It was nice to know someone in the outside world was concerned for her and the use of "there" versus "home" didn't escape her notice either.

"Yes," she typed back. "Heart attack. It was bad, but will know more in the morning. Most likely surgery. Will update you when I know more."

"Ok. I hope it goes well. Call me if you need me."

"I will. Good night."

"Night."

She laid her phone down, but instead of sleeping she stared up at the ceiling. It was a long time before she heard her mother come up the stairs and go to her own room. She knew tomorrow she would have to put on a smiling, positive face for her father. Although her father would see right through it, she still had to try. If nothing else it would fool her mother.

….

Emma threw her keys down on her the kitchen counter and pulled a bottle of beer from the fridge and opened it. She took several drinks before making it to the couch. Once she sat down with her feet propped up on the coffee table she thought again about how stupid she was for seeking out Regina at the hospital. She should have known that she would get that kind of reaction from the other woman.

Still, it had been what 14 years and she would have thought Regina would be somewhat willing to have a civil conversation with her.

She was working a night shift this week in place of another deputy and when she heard that a car was coming into town she knew it was Regina. She had first driven by Regina's parents' home but seeing no vehicle there she had gone on to the hospital.

When she had woken up that afternoon and gone into work she had heard about Regina's father – it was all people seemed to be talking about. Emma really did feel bad because she had always liked Mayor Mills. Even after the unpleasantness between her and Regina, he had never once treated her differently.

She couldn't say the same thing for Cora Mills. To this day she got the cold shoulder from the woman whenever they were near each other.

But it wasn't either of them that Emma worried about – it was what Regina thought of her that bothered her. She knew she too should just get over it, but she hadn't managed to do so in all this time.

After all, Regina had every right to hate her and she had no right to expect Regina to forgive her even after all of this time.

Taking another sip of her beer she wondered if she should just go out of her way to avoid Regina while she was in town. She didn't expect Regina would be there for very long as her visits had become more rare as the years went on. With her father in the hospital it would probably be for the best if Emma didn't add any further stress to Regina's life.

Even as she thought it though Emma knew she wouldn't be avoiding Regina. She couldn't. She would just have to be smarter about it than ambushing her in the hospital parking lot. Not one of her better moves she could admit.

Maybe she would talk to Tink before she went to work and get her advice.

Finishing off her beer she decided to get to bed and hope that she could find some way to get Regina to at least speak to her without that look of disdain while she was home.

….

"Gina," Henry smiled as she came into the hospital room.

"Hi daddy," she said leaning over and giving him a kiss on his forehead.

"The nurses said I had a late visitor last night," he said. "I'm glad you are here. I've missed you. Phone calls just aren't the same as having my daughter here where I can see her beautiful face."

"I've missed you too," she said taking a seat. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he said.

"Father."

"Ok, maybe I am not 100 percent but don't you worry about me. I'm going to be alright. Your mother has a fine hospital here and I am confident that they will handle this accordingly. Now, where is your mother?"

"She's talking to Dr. Whale," Regina answered. "I think she wanted to speak to him before he comes in here to discuss your prognosis. They're talking about surgery."

"I know," he said with all seriousness. "But let's not talk about that right now. Tell me, how are you?"

"You can't avoid talking about this," Regina said. "I mean you are in the hospital. You collapsed at work."

"I am not avoiding. I am merely postponing until your mother and Dr. Whale get here. We haven't spoken in weeks. How many times has your mother or I called and gotten your voicemail with no return call?"

"I've been busy," she replied. One of her parents called her every week. She used to answer those calls, but then she stopped being consistent about answering and then she got into the habit of ignoring the calls when they came. She had even ignored the one yesterday when her mother called to tell her that her father was in the hospital. It had been a couple of hours later that Regina had listened to the voicemail and learned of it.

"Too busy for your old man?"

"You aren't an old man," Regina said.

"You know what I mean. What has you so busy?"

"Just work," she said.

"You are too young to have so much time taken up by work," he said. "Although I imagine you have some free time or you wouldn't be here."

"I would be here regardless of whether I was in the middle of something or not," she said.

"Yes, but you do have free time, or was I wrong in that I read online that your latest project was unveiled to much fanfare what two weeks ago? You may not return our calls, but that doesn't mean your mother and I don't want to know what you have going on in your life."

Regina knew it was pointless to give any kind of reassurance that she had meant to call because her father would know it wasn't the truth. As an attorney he had a knack for knowing when people lied to him and it made for a childhood where Regina was never able to lie her way out of things.

It was true; she had wrapped up her latest project two weeks ago. She was a skilled architect who worked mostly with municipalities who were looking to restore old buildings or build new ones that fit into a historic style. She specialized in historical buildings – giving them upgrades while staying true to their original forms. Her latest project was actually a contract with the city of Philadelphia to work with its historic commission and architectural commission. She had spent nearly two years in the city working with them to set a 10-year plan for the upkeep of various sites around the city and to work on a project to build a new library that would conform to the standards of the historic city. The job had paid well and she had done some other consulting work while there as well.

"So when are you leaving Philadelphia and what is your next destination?" he asked.

Her father wasn't pulling any punches today, she thought. If there was one source of conflict between her and her father this was it – her moving from place to place. She had tried to explain to him before that it was necessary because of the nature of her work, but he attributed it to what he called her "endless restlessness."

First it was four years of college at Michigan State University and then her two-year masters degree work at Cornell. She had completed several internships throughout her schooling and had landed a job with an architectural firm in Boston. It was there that she had earned her reputation for historical architecture and city planning. It was also the start of her traveling. She didn't always stay in cities like she did in Philadelphia. She would be sent out by the firm to various places to see sites, research the historic nature of the places and then she would work on her plans from wherever she saw fit – sometimes that was Boston, but usually it was in whatever was the next city on her list of places to go.

She made a lot of money for herself and the firm.

Philadelphia though was the one place she had stayed for longer than a few months. She had done other jobs outside of Philadelphia in the time she had been there, but she had always returned. She had left Boston entirely, returning only when needed. It's what she liked about where she worked at – there was no expectation of her being there full-time. They pointed her in a direction and she went. In the beginning she took whatever job they wanted to send her out to, but now that she had more experience and a reputation for excellence she had become more discerning in what kinds of jobs she wanted to take. The Philadelphia job was one that had interested her mostly because of the historic nature of the city. She loved to take walks and just look at the buildings and think about what it must have been like for the architect to have had that blank canvas to work with.

If there was one aspect of her job she didn't particularly care for it was that when she created a design it never felt like her own because she was always constrained by rules from historic commissions or city codes or zoning.

She never got the chance to have a space of her own in which to create something uniquely hers.

"My next job is in Savannah," she answered.

"When do you have to be down there?"

"I've been there already," she said. "I spent three weeks there and came back up for the completion of the project in Philly. Sorry I didn't tell you, but at the time I was there I wasn't entirely sure I was going to take the job."

"But you are taking it?"

She nodded. "It's a beautiful city. I think you would really love to see it."

Henry smiled at her. "Maybe after we get through this unpleasantness your mother and I will take some time to visit you there. You can show me one of your cities."

Regina smiled back even as she knew her father was saying it just to say it. She was sure neither of her parents would ever leave this town, even to visit their daughter. After all, they never had before. "I would like that," she said.

"Have you already found a place to live down there?"

She shook her head no. "I have a hotel near where I will be working that I can stay at."

He cocked his head slightly. "What about all your stuff at your apartment? Are you putting it in storage or something?"

Her mother entering the room with Dr. Whale kept her from answering that question. She let her mother have the chair while the doctor explained to them that Henry had blockages – a 90 percent and an 83 percent one – that would require stents to be put in. It was a better option than a pacemaker and Dr. Whale felt confident that he would make a full recovery. They set up the surgery for the next day.

After Dr. Whale was finished, Regina left the room with the excuse of getting a coffee. She went first into the closest bathroom. Locking the stall door, she leaned up against the wall feeling like she was able to take her first breath since the doctor had walked into the room. Her father's condition wasn't as bad as she had feared. Not that the surgery wasn't serious – it was – but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. He wouldn't need a pacemaker, and while things about his life would need to change like his diet, she still felt relieved.

Taking her phone from her purse she shot off a quick text.

"Surgery tomorrow to put in stents. Much better than what it could have been. He will be out of the hospital in a few days if all goes well."

She had a response before she left the restroom.

"Glad to hear that. Take what time you need there, but the longer you are gone the more I'm going to think about redecorating."

Another smile came with that response. "Don't touch the décor."

She went down to the cafeteria and got a coffee, thinking about the conversation she and her father had been having. The truth was she had been considering keeping her place in Philadelphia. Prior to this situation with her dad, the matter of moving to Savannah had been on her mind the most over the past couple of weeks. To her it seemed silly to keep a place in Philly while she would be working so much in Savannah. It wasn't that she was that enamored with Philly. Yes, she enjoyed being there and she found the city to be beautiful but like every other place she ended up, it didn't feel like home. It had come the closest however.

And then there was the fact she shared the apartment now with another person - Someone she hadn't told her parents about which was another reason why she was glad her conversation with her father was interrupted.

….

Emma yawned even though she was on her second cup of coffee.

"When are you done with this night shift?" Tink asked her.

"Two more nights," she responded. They were sitting at Granny's, a local diner and popular meeting spot for the citizens of Storybrooke. It was lunchtime and Tink had met her over there. If it weren't for her wanting to get Tink's advice, Emma would have been home in bed still.

Bethany Snider, aka Tink, was her best friend. It was Emma who had given her the Tink moniker after her friend had stolen the show in a community theater production of "Peter Pan," when they were kids. Emma said there was no one more perfect for the role of the fairy Tinkerbell and somewhere along the way "Tink" had just sort of replaced Bethany as far as what people called her.

Whenever she had a problem or just needed to discuss something it was Tink she turned to. She went on to tell her about her encounter with Regina the night before.

"Maybe approaching her in the hospital parking lot in the early morning hours wasn't the best time," Tink said.

"I know," Emma growled. "But I … I just wanted to see her you know. It's been so long and God, she still looks amazing even if she was exhausted."

The waitress brought their food over and neither said anything at first as they arranged their utensils and took their first few bites.

"I know you aren't going to want to hear this, but perhaps you should just not see her while she is in town," Tink said.  
Even though Emma had thought the same thing, she was surprised to hear Tink suggest it. Tink had been in her and Regina's corner from the start. It was another reason she had wanted to speak to Tink today because the other woman always seemed to find a silver lining – a positive that Emma could latch on to.

"She's only back because of her father," Tink continued. "You know she's going to leave as soon as she can and I don't want you to be crushed when she leaves again."

Emma kept her eyes on the plate of food in front of her, not wanting to see Tink's face when she said her next words, "What if she doesn't leave this time?"

She heard Tink put down her fork on the plate and this caused her to look up and see Tink studying her.

"What?" Emma said finally as her friend continued to stare at her.

"Do you really think she won't leave?"

Emma shrugged. "She will; it's not like I don't know this. But what if she had a reason to stay?"

"That reason being you?"

"I'm being foolish," Emma said. "She doesn't even want to talk to me. Maybe I should leave her alone while she is here."

Emma went back to concentrating on her food even though she basically forcing herself to eat at this point. Her stomach had been in knots since seeing Regina last night. She wanted so much to be able to talk to her, to get her to see that she wasn't her enemy, or at the very least get Regina to see that she was concerned for her. She knew how much Regina's father meant to her and how devastated she would be if this was as serious as the rumors around town were making it out to be.

"You probably are being foolish to think Regina would stay here for you," Tink said after several moments of not talking. "At least it's foolish to jump to that. Let's concentrate on getting her to talk to you first and then see how things progress."

Emma looked at her best friend and smiled. She knew it was a long shot but at least Tink was still on her side with this.

"How do you suggest I get her to talk to me?" Emma asked.

"No idea," Tink said.

"That's helpful."

"Hey, you don't exactly have a great track record of taking my advice," Tink said. "If you did you would have chased after your girl to begin with."

"Don't remind me," Emma said, feeling her emotions tip back to a low point. It wasn't as if she hadn't regretted that decision and others. Seeing Regina – hell even thinking of Regina – was like playing a game of what if. What if she had gone after her when Regina had left town in anger that summer before her sophomore year in college? What if she had gone to Michigan and begged Regina for another chance would it have made a difference? Would Regina have forgiven her?

"The direct approach didn't work last night, so we might have to come up with something a little more subtle, or at least a not a full one-on-one," Tink said. "Did you at least send flowers or something to her dad's hospital room?"

"Um …"

"Do I have to do everything?" Tink said.

"What? I was working all last night, when would I have had time to do so?"

"Fine. But as soon as you leave here, go to the flower shop and have something sent over. It's not much but at least it will let Regina know you are thinking of her dad and thus thinking of her."

"Ok, I can do that. What else?"

Tink gave her a look to express that she didn't know and Emma backed off a bit, going back to eating. They spent the rest of the meal talking of other things. After paying their bills, they walked outside and Tink reminded her to go directly to the florist.

"Do you think she ever thinks about me?" Emma asked.

Tink patted her friend's arm. "She loved you. Of that I have no doubt," Tink said. "So yeah, she thinks about you."


	20. Chapter 20

Regina had brought her laptop with her to the hospital and now sat in one of the break rooms to get some work done. They had taken her father away to do another chest xray and some other tests and her mother was presumably in her office. Cora had offered the use of her office to Regina but she turned her down saying she wanted to stay on the floor where her dad's room was at. The truth was, she wanted some privacy from her parents.

Her father had of course told her mother about the job in Savannah which had opened her up to another round of questions. She avoided the living arrangements questions by simply telling them she wanted to explore all options before she decided what to do with her stuff. Her parents interpreted this as her looking ahead to the next job and the next move.

It wasn't as if she wasn't aware that her life had become quite transient. She didn't consider it aimless wandering, which is how she figured her parents interpreted it based on comments they made. Each move had a purpose.

She liked being able to explore a new city and see what made it unique. She enjoyed walking along the sidewalks and finding hidden examples of an artist's work within the architecture. Unlike many of the buildings and houses of today, the older ones had unique histories and stories behind their creations. She craved the hunt of learning those stories in the libraries and historical societies of each city.

For her, Storybrooke had never been like that. If anything she found her hometown to be too much like any small town across the United States. It was like someone had decided to pull elements of every Maybury-like town and they mixed them together to make Storybrooke.

To her, it all felt fake.

That was not something she could tell her parents when it appeared as if they and everyone in this town thought it was the greatest place to live on the planet.

Maybe she just had a restless soul.

Yet in Philly, that soul had come to find some peace. It wasn't the city itself – it still didn't feel like home, but something else seemed to pull at her. It used to be that she would follow that mythical pull from city to city – an unexplainable force that seemed to lead her to different places. She didn't feel like Savannah was pulling her. It was odd because she had been to Savannah a couple of times before this job came up. She had gone there because it was such a historic city and she wanted to see it with her own eyes.

When this job came up however, she hadn't been excited about it like she should have been.

She felt like her life was a crossroads but she didn't know what was in either direction so therefore she couldn't choose the right path.

It's not the first time she had felt like this in her life.

_"Michigan, really?" Emma said, sparing no disdain for the very idea of it. "Do you know how far away that is?"_

_They were outside of the Storybrooke_ _High School on what was the first nice day of spring. They had been lying down on a blanket that Emma had pulled from her car and placed on the lawn that was a few yards from the parking lot. Once Regina had told Emma that she wanted to go to Michigan_ _State_ _University, Emma had abruptly sat up forcing Regina to do so as well._

_Regina had been putting off telling Emma that she had made her choice for college and it wasn't going to be the local community college._

_"I know how far away it is," Regina replied, thinking that was one of the reasons she chose it. She was suffocating in this town and she knew if she didn't leave to go to college she would never leave. She wanted to see the world, but unfortunately, her girlfriend was like everyone else in this town who saw no need to travel._

_She had always felt like an outsider here, despite being the only daughter of what had to be the richest family in town. She had a good life but it never felt like enough._

_"You can't be serious," Emma said getting to her feet. "I would never get to see you. Is this your way of breaking up with me?"_

_"No," Regina said getting to her feet and taking Emma by the hand. "I don't want to break up with you at all."_

_"Then why are you even considering going to Michigan?"_

_This was exactly why she had been putting this off. She had gotten her acceptance letter from MSU a month ago and while she was excited about it, she had immediately felt fearful of this moment._

_"I am not considering it. I'm going," Regina said._

_Emma pulled away from her, turning her back on her before whirling back around. "So that's it, you are going and there doesn't get to be any discussion about it? You're just going to leave me like … like I don't mean anything to you."_

_"Don't do that," Regina said. "You know that isn't true. I love you."_

_"Then how can you do this?"_

_"I haven't exactly made it a secret that I want to get out of this town," Regina said. "You know how I feel when everyone here knows who I am, knows who my parents are."_

_"Yeah, you have it so rough," Emma said, the sarcasm dripping off every word._

_Regina knew that this was a useless conversation – at least for now._

_"I got to get going to practice or I will be late," Emma said. She picked up her bag with her softball equipment in it and started to leave. Regina knew Emma had plenty of time to get to practice, but this was classic Emma – avoidance._

_She loved a lot of things about Emma but this penchant for running from her problems was not one of them. It appeared she wasn't even going to get a kiss goodbye._

_"You could come with me you know," Regina said._

_This stopped Emma, who turned to look at her. "Leave Storybrooke?"_

_"Yes, leave Storybrooke," Regina replied. "If you applied to Michigan_ _State I'm sure you would get in. They would probably even want you to play on their softball team. You certainly have the talent for it."_

_Emma opened her mouth as if to say something and then shut it. She then said, "I got to get going," before walking off._

Regina shook the memory from her mind. She didn't want to think about Emma Swan. Yet, thoughts of the other woman had been invading her psyche since she saw her the night before.

She had still been in her father's room when a delivery of get well flowers had arrived for her father. Cora had read the card – the flowers being from Emma. Her mother didn't comment but her father expressed that it was nice of Emma to have done that. It had been nice of her, but Regina wasn't about to say so out loud.

Going back to concentrate on her work, Regina intensely studied her computer screen and the information on her latest job. She remained focused until her mother came to get her to say that her father was back in his room. Packing up her laptop she followed her mother to the room, but when they arrived there were already two people in there – one of whom Regina was surprised to see.

When her mother and her walked in, the two men turned from her father to them.

"What's going on here?" Cora said.

Regina was surprised that the tone was less than pleasant, although given that one of the men was Mr. Gold – someone her mother had never seemed to like – she shouldn't be totally surprised.

"We came to see how Henry was doing," Gold said.

"He'll be better once you leave him to rest."

"We don't mean to intrude," said the other man. This was the one Regina had been surprised to see. David Swan, Emma's father, was there with Mr. Gold. She could think of no reason for him to be there.

"We do have a matter of city business we need to take care of," Gold said.

"My husband is not up to dealing with city business," Cora said. "Now if you'll kindly leave."

"The fact he is not up to dealing with city business is why we are here," Gold said, ignoring Cora entirely and addressing Henry. "The charter is explicit that in times such as these when the mayor is unable to attend to his duties an interim mayor must be appointed. As members of the city council, David and I are here to deal with this matter."

Regina new Gold was on the council, he was council president actually – or at least he was when she was here last, but the fact that Mr. Swan was on council was something she had not known. She didn't even know he had an interest in such things. The man was about as mild-mannered a person as you were likely to find. He worked at the animal shelter and if he hadn't been Emma's father Regina probably would have no idea who he was since he didn't seem to draw attention to himself much.

"I suppose it is the sensible thing to do," her father was saying.

"Let me guess," Cora said. "This interim mayor position, you are here to volunteer for the job?"

Gold laughed, "No. Even if I wanted such a position, the charter states it can't be a member of council. Actually, I was thinking that it might be best to appoint Regina to the role."

"What?" Regina said at the same time as her mother.

Gold turned his attention to her. "I assume you are here through the duration of your father's recovery. You will have access to your father if you have questions, this way no one is bothering him while he recuperates. Your work allows you to collaborate with city officials all the time from what I understand. You are smart so I'm confident that you will be able to catch on quickly to things that need to be addressed. Plus reading your father's rather dreadful script is a bonus. Even his secretary has trouble deciphering his notes at times. It would be purely an interim thing until your father is ready to resume work."

Regina stood there stunned. She had no clue why anyone would think she should be mayor, even on an interim basis. Then there was the fact she hadn't really intended to stick around. Her plan had been to wait until her father was released, make sure he was okay for a day or two and then leave.

"I don't think that I'm qualified to do this," Regina said, hoping that this would be the end of it.

"Nonsense," Gold said. "Who better than you to take this task on?"

Regina wanted to say anyone but her. She didn't even live in this town.

"Regina," David said. "I know it would be asking a lot but if you would at least consider it, we would appreciate it."

"Of course she'll do it," Henry said, which made Regina whip her head around toward him. If there hadn't been others in the room she might have asked him what the hell he thought he was doing. "Won't you honey?"

She paused. She wanted no part of this.

"Please Regina, there is no one I trust more with this responsibility," her father said.

Feeling like she now officially had no choice, she said, "I'll do it. It's just interim after all."

Even as she said it, she had a bad feeling about it.

….

"Hi dad," Emma said as she entered the animal shelter. She was getting ready to go on shift in about another 30 minutes but her dad had asked her to stop by. She had taken a nap that afternoon following her visit to the flower store in order to make sure she was rested for the shift. "What's up?"

Her father was putting one of the puppies back in its kennel and once he finished, he turned his attention back to her.

"I wanted to see if you were free to have dinner with your mom and me on Sunday," he said.

"I have my last night shift on Saturday night so I plan on sleeping most of the day on Sunday. Is that all you wanted?"

"Emma," David said. "You can't keep this silent act up forever with your mother."

"Then tell her to apologize."

"Your mother has no desire to war with you," he said. "It's why I am asking you to come to dinner. Just hear her out please."

"Fine, but she needs to understand that my personal life is my own and it's personal which means she doesn't get a say in it," Emma said. "I got to get to work. See you Sunday."

She reached the door and began pushing it open. "Regina is back in town," he said. "I saw her today."

"Where did you see her?" she asked turning back toward him.

"At the hospital," he answered. "Mr. Gold and I had to see her father about some city business."

"He's in the hospital, couldn't city business wait?"

"I wish it could have but as usual Gold was insistent. He looked up some clause in the city charter that said we needed to appoint an interim mayor while the real mayor was incapacitated and unable to fulfill the duties of the office."

"An interim mayor? What's the point? It's not like there is much to running this town."

"There is more to it than you might think," David said.

"I guess," Emma said. "So who gets to rule the roost?"

"Regina."

"What?"

"Yeah, surprised me too when Gold suggested it, but she does have experience with dealing with municipal government, if not quite in this capacity."

"And she agreed to this?"

"I don't think she was very happy about it, but her father asked her to do it so she did."

"Does this mean she's staying in town?" Emma asked, unable to keep the elation out of her voice.

"For the time being she is, but Emma, this isn't a permanent thing. I just thought you should know before you see it in the paper tomorrow," David said.

….

Regina sat at her father's desk in city hall. About 45 minutes ago she had been sworn in as interim mayor and now she was trying to get her bearings. Her father had spent most of the afternoon going over things with her until Cora had finally insisted that he needed his rest. He was due for surgery in the morning so Regina wanted to get some of this work done tonight.

Apparently the city was about to embark on some sort of sewer project but her father had his heart attack before signing the contract. She was going over the contract now. As interim mayor her signature would carry the same weight as her father's so she wanted to make sure she didn't mess anything up.

Her phone rang and she looked to see who it was before answering it.

"Is this Mayor Mills?"

She smiled. "No, it's just Regina."

"I couldn't resist," the voice on the other end of the phone said. "That is trippy though. You mayor."

"I know," she said. "It caught me off guard too and I wouldn't have agreed to it if my father hadn't spoken up. He said I was the only one he trusted to do the job."

"Well that's kind of sweet."

"Yes, it's a nice sentiment but my father is no fool, he knew he was trapping me into this the moment he said it."

"Why do you think he did it then?"

"I don't know. Maybe he thinks I will like the job and decide to stay here."

There was a pause. "You wouldn't think of …"

"No," she said, cutting him off before he could say it. "I'm not staying here. This is just a temporary layover. I know my dad and I know he isn't going to want to sit still for long. I give it a week at the most before he is back to attending to his mayoral duties."

"Good," he said. "It's bad enough I am losing you to Savannah."

"You aren't losing me," she said. "Besides, you can come down to Georgia."

"We'll see. We can talk about it when you get home," he said. There was another pause. "Have you seen Emma?"

This time it was her turn to get quiet.

"I will take that as a yes," he said. "How did that go?"

"It was short," she said. "I made it clear that I didn't wish to speak to her and that was the end of that."

"I know you aren't going to want to hear this, but maybe you should talk to her. If nothing else it might help you get some closure."

"What happened between she and I is in the past. I don't need closure from it."

"Forgive me for saying it, but if you were over it, you wouldn't have a problem speaking to her now."

"She cheated on me. I have nothing I need to say to her, now or ever."


	21. Chapter 21

Regina was tired. She had spent a long time going over city business last night, mostly to keep her mind off of her dad's surgery today. But now it was here and Regina's nerves were on full display as she had been unable to even sit down in his room while they did some surgery prep.

Finally, it was just her, him and her mother in the room. They would be taking him back into surgery any time now.

Cora was sitting in the chair holding Henry's hand as they talked softly. Regina observed her parents and even smiled a little as this small display of love. Her parents had always been so busy when she was growing up that she didn't always get to see moments like this. Again, she felt guilt over how long had she been away and her ignoring of her parents' calls.

She watched as Cora stood, leaned over and gave Henry a kiss.

"I will give you some time to speak with your father," she said to Regina before leaving.

"Sit down," Henry said.

Regina didn't want to sit, didn't want to be in there suddenly. She didn't like the feeling that this was one of those times that could be a "last time" if something went wrong with this surgery. Still, she took a seat.

Henry reached out for her hand and she placed hers on top of his.

"Are you happy?" he asked her.

The question caught her off guard.

"Yeah," she said, unable to keep herself from shrugging a little. She could see the doubt immediately in her father's eyes.

"My beautiful little girl," Henry said, giving her a small smile. "Do you even know what it is that would make you happy?"

She pulled her hand back from his. "I have a good job. I have a good life dad." Even as she said it, she wondered if she believed it. Yes she enjoyed her career, but did she love it? Her mind went back again to the fact she never got to create anything. The only mark she left on her projects were marks that had to be built on the works of others before her. She made old things new again, or made new things look like the old.

"I just worry about you. Your mother and I, we worry. We're parents, it's part of the job description, but honey, even when you coming back here for visits, it's been like something is missing from your life. I don't know, maybe it's because you don't like being here. Maybe you are just happier being anywhere else but here," he said. "But your mom and I, we miss you. Lately though it feels even more like you have been pulling away from the life you once had back here. It's your life, I understand that. All I ask is that whatever path you choose to take in life, choose the one that will make you happy."

She hated that it sounded like he was giving her some sort of goodbye speech.

"I love you and I love mom," she said. "And I promise to make a better effort at coming back for visits. It has been too long since I've been here, and I'm sorry it's taken this to get me to come back."

"I would like that very much," he said. "I think I could handle you being away so long if I knew you were happy though. I worry about you going from city to city, never putting down roots – never having anyone permanent in your life."

"I have people in my life."

"I know, but you also know I mean someone special, someone you share your life with."

He looked sad, and Regina thought it also made him look older than he had ever looked before. If something were to go wrong in surgery, she didn't want this expression on his face to be the last one she ever saw.

"I have someone like that," she said.

"You do?"

"Yes," she said, smiling. "His name is Neal. We've been living together in Philly. He's … he's the reason I haven't decided on moving to Savannah. I was thinking of staying in Philly with him and just going to Savannah on an as needed basis. I hadn't told you about him because I wasn't sure what I was going to do about the job, but being back here and seeing you and mom, I see the importance of having someone like Neal in my life. He is really great guy. I think you would like him very much."

"That's wonderful," he said, giving her a fuller smile. "How did you two meet? How long have you been living together? What does he do for a living?"

She opened her mouth to respond but before she could, the nurse was coming back in to bring him out for surgery. Regina got to her feet quickly and gave him a kiss on the forehead and then moved out of the way, so they could wheel the bed out.

"You'll tell me all about Neal when I get out of surgery," Henry said as they wheeled him past her.

She walked into the hall where her mom had been waiting. Cora gave her husband another kiss and as they took him up to surgery, she came over to stand next to Regina.

"He's going to be alright," Cora said.

She knew her mother was saying it to convince herself just as much as she was trying to convince her daughter.

"I know," Regina responded. "He has to be."

The next couple hours of her life were the longest she had ever experienced. She had tried to concentrate on getting some work done, but it was a lost cause. She ended up in her mother's office to wait for news. Regina didn't say much, but her mother couldn't seem to stop talking. It was as if she was trying to tell Regina every little thing that had gone on in this town since the last time she had been there.

Finally, Dr. Whale came in to tell them that the surgery had been successful and there were no complications in inserting the stents. It would be another 45 minutes or so before they could see him in the recovery room and even then it was expected that he wouldn't be conscious for long.

"Hey you," Henry said, when he opened his eyes to see his wife sitting beside the bed.

"Hi," Cora said smiling and taking his head. "You're going to be alright."

"Of course I am, never a doubt," Henry said, and then he looked over at Regina. "Hi honey."

"Hi daddy," she said, smiling.

He yawned and they knew he wasn't going to be awake much longer.

"Did you tell your mother about your guy?" he asked.

"Your guy?" Cora asked, looking at her.

"Neal," Henry said. "Our daughter has someone special in her life. She's going to be happy."

He drifted off to sleep before he could say anything else.

"Neal?" Cora asked.

"Um, yeah," Regina responded. "He's …"

"Someone special?"

"Yes. We've been living together," Regina said.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Almost eight months now."

"How did you two meet?"

"You know, maybe we should wait until dad is awake, no sense in repeating the story and I did sort of promise him I would tell him all about Neal when he got out of surgery."

Cora gave her one of those apprising looks that always made Regina feel like she was doing something wrong, even when she wasn't.

"Of course," Cora said. "When your father is awake we can all catch up on what you've been doing with your life."

Regina ended up excusing herself, telling her mother that she needed to go to city hall to get some work done. She asked her mother to call her with any updates and that she would be back later to check in on her father. She got into her car and was pulling out of the hospital lot, while also dialing Neal's number.

"Pick up, pick up, pick up," she said as the phone continued to ring. Finally the voicemail kicked on. "I need you to call me as soon as you get this message."

She hung up the phone, scarcely believing she had told her parents about Neal. She knew her parents wouldn't be inclined to drop the subject and telling how she met Neal was not something she wanted to do. After all, how do you tell your parents that the man you are living with is someone you met when he tried to steal your car?

**_In Philadelphia_ **

_Regina was walking to her car thinking about what to have for dinner. She had spent all day at the historical society examining documents and photos of the city so she could work on some of her initial designs for the library. It was late – a member of the historical society finally asking her to leave so they could lock up – and so it was dark outside._

_Despite still being somewhat new to the city, she knew her way around so while she checked her email on her phone, she hit the unlock button on the car and got inside while still concentrating on her phone. After finishing reading the email from her boss, who was asking for a status update by the end of the week, she put her phone aside and started the car._

_Pulling out onto the road, her stomach growled slightly. She was hungry, and she was beginning to think that this was all so much easier when she was living out of a hotel which had a full service restaurant._

_"I would appreciate it if you just let me off at the next light," said a man's voice from behind her._

_Regina screamed and slammed on her brakes._

_"Jesus, are you trying to kill both of us," said the man as he popped up and sat on the back seat._

_Traffic was still flowing around her stopped car and she was lucky she hadn't been in an accident._

_"Who the hell are you?" Regina said._

_Horns were honking as other vehicles moved around her._

_"Um, you can just pull over there and I will get out."_

_"Are you armed?"_

_"What?"_

_"Do you have a weapon?"_

_"No, why would I have a weapon? And seriously lady, move the car."_

_Regina wasn't sure why she did it, but she got the car moving again. She also didn't stop it once she did get it started._

_"Where are you going? You can let me out you know."_

_"I will as soon as I find a police station."_

_"Whoa, whoa, there is no reason for any hasty actions," he said leaning against the passenger seat._

_"Excuse me," she said. "A strange man is in my car and I'm just supposed to let him out at the next stop. What are you doing in my car anyway?"_

_"Well I was going to steal it until you decided to come back for it. You didn't leave me much choice but to duck back here."_

_"You were going to steal my car!"_

_"Volume lady, I'm not deaf."_

_"Stop calling me lady."_

_"What's your name and I will call you that. I'm Neal by the way."_

_"I'm not telling you my name," she said._

_"Why not?"_

_"Why not? How about because once you get out of jail I don't want you tracking me down," she said glancing at him._

_"I didn't actually steal the car so what do you think they are going to charge me with?"_

_"I am sure they will find something," she said and she reached for her phone so she could call 911 or Google map directions to the nearest police station, but he saw her going for it and grabbed it first. "Give that to me."_

_"I will as soon as you pull over and let me out."_

_"I will do no such thing."_

_"You seem tense," he said. "Were you just now leaving work? Kind of late isn't it? Or are you one of those workaholic type? Please don't tell me you are one of those uptight perfectionists."_

_"You don't know anything about me."_

_"Let's see, you're car is immaculate – not even a left over coffee cup. Your phone looks like you wipe it clean every five minutes to keep smudges off of it. You're dressed nice so you probably have your act together. You have no wedding ring."  
Regina quickly pulled to the side of the road and parked in a spot, turning to look at him._

_"Get out," she said._

_"Did I touch a nerve with the whole wedding ring thing? If so, I'm sorry. I mean I'm not married either so it's cool."_

_"Get out," she repeated._

_"Ok," he said, handing her back the phone. "Thanks for the ride."_

_He got out of the car and she immediately put the car in gear and took off._

_The next day when she was again leaving work, there was Neal leaning up against her car with a single, cheap carnation and another apology for her._

_To this day she couldn't really tell anyone why she not only accepted the apology or why shet ended up going to dinner with him._

Regina hadn't even gotten to city hall when her phone rang and she saw it was Neal so she answered it.

"Is something wrong with you dad?" he asked immediately.

She sighed knowing the way she left the message and timing of it would of course make him think it was related to her father. "No, he's fine," she said. "The surgery was good. That's not why I called. I called because … because I told my parents about you."

"You did? Ok, I thought you weren't going to but like I said before, I didn't mind if you did."

"Yeah, I know," she said. They had spoken about this before she had left albeit it briefly since she had to leave so quickly. "It's just that before the surgery dad was asking me questions about whether I was happy and I don't know, I ended up telling him about you sort of."

"What do you mean sort of?"

"I didn't get the chance to explain who you were or anything. I merely told him that we were living together and I maybe said it in a way so he would think you and I were living together because we were a couple."  
Neal started to laugh so loud that she had to pull the phone away from her ear for a moment.

"Would you stop laughing? What am I supposed to do about this?"

"How about telling them the truth? Tell them you and I are best friends and you have no desire to sleep with me because you like the women. I mean they do know you are gay, right? Or do they think you can just turn that off and on like a light switch? I don't understand why you would even suggest we were a couple."

"I didn't suggest exactly, or maybe I did. I didn't want my father going into surgery thinking his daughter was unhappy."

"Are you happy?"

She had reached city hall and she parked her car without answering.

"I'll be happier when I get to leave this town," she said finally.

"Regina, you know I love you right?"

"Of course."

"Then don't hurry back," he said.

"Why would you say that?"

"It's your hometown, your parents are there – parents you haven't seen in a long time. Take it from me, the time with your parents is precious because you don't know how long you will have with them. This thing with your father should be enough of a sign for you," he said. "And while you are there, you should talk with Emma."

"I told you …"

"I know what you told me," he said. "But I also know what happened between the two of you still bothers you. If nothing else you should take this as an opportunity to move past it once and for all."

She didn't say anything at first. "I have to go. I have some city business to address."

He said goodbye and she hung up. She stayed in the car for probably five minutes thinking. She knew Neal only wanted the best for her, but she was sure what was best for her was to get out of this town.


	22. Chapter 22

Emma wasn't looking forward to dinner with her parents. It had been a while since they had all been in the same room together due to the strife between her and her mother. And she didn't figure one meal would repair their relationship.

It's not that she didn't love her mother – she did, but her mom was always pushing her in directions that Emma didn't want to go. Even as an adult it was if her mother failed to realize that her daughter wanted to live her own life.

It had come to a head a month ago when her mom had arranged for a different kind of dinner – inviting over a co-worker of hers at the school. It was an attempt at match making that caused Emma to blow up at her mother after dinner and they hadn't really spoken since.

A part of her hoped this dinner invite was her mom's attempt at making things right, but she doubted it.

She arrived on time – so there was no reason for her mother to be critical. She walked in and was immediately greeted by her father.

"Hi honey," he said, giving her a hug. "Glad to be off the night shift?"

"You have no idea," she said. "Of course it will probably take all week before my sleep schedule is no longer out of whack."

"Well we're happy you could come over," he said.

"Where's mom?"

"In the kitchen, finishing up."

"I didn't see any other cars outside so is it safe to assume it's just the three of us?"

"Yes, just us."

Emma didn't respond and she went and sat down with her dad and spoke until Mary Margaret came out to tell them dinner was done. She said hello to Emma, but there was nothing else said as they sat down for their meal. Throughout the three of them stuck to safe topics. After dinner, she helped her mom clean up knowing it would give them a chance to talk – something she couldn't avoid she realized.

"So you asked dad to ask me to come to dinner, I came, but you haven't said what you want yet," Emma said.

"Why do I have to want something from my daughter? Can't I just want to see you?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Emma said. "Then again, we haven't spoken in a while so if there is something you want to say to me, say it."

Mary Margaret was loading the dishwasher as Emma spoke, not looking at her, but she straightened up now and faced her. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have ambushed you at that last dinner."

"No you shouldn't have."

"I want you to know why I did it though."

Oh, here it comes Emma thought.

"I'm worried about you," Mary Margaret. "I'm worried about you being alone. I want for you, what I have with your father. Does that make me a bad person?"

"No, of course not, but I can find my own dates," Emma responded.

"And when is the last time you went on a date?"

Emma crossed her arms in front of her. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with her mother.

"Mom, I'm not lonely. I like my life," she said. "Do I want a happy ever after, sure I do. But setting me up, trying to force me together with someone, that's not how it's going to happen."

"How do you know if you won't even try?"

Emma pursed her lips together and her eyes went toward the ceiling for a moment, trying to decide if she should say something she was sure her mother wouldn't appreciate. By the time she made eye contact with her mother, she had made her decision.

"I don't need to try because I'm already in love."

"You are!" her mother said, her eyes lighting up. "Who is he? How did you meet? How long have you been together?"

"We're not together. Yet," Emma said. "I'm going to try to make it work this time though because this could my last chance with her."

The way her mother's expression went immediately to stony, hard planes, Emma knew Mary Margaret had not changed her mind even after all of these years.

"Regina," Mary Margaret said. "You're talking about Regina."

"Yes. She is the one I want to be with. She's always been the one."

"Emma. I understand that Regina was important to you once upon a time. It was a childhood adoration. But you're an adult now and so is she. And she hasn't been around for a long time and my understanding is she is not intending to stick around."

"Maybe because she hasn't had a reason to stay."

"You think you can be that reason."

"Why not? She's not married. She's not engaged. Even if she doesn't want to stay, well …if she is willing to give me another chance there is nothing stopping me from leaving Storybrooke if that is what it takes to show her how serious I am about being with her."

"Don't be ridiculous," Mary Margaret said. "You aren't leaving Storybrooke."

"Yeah, well maybe I should have left it a long time ago and I would have gotten my happy ending by now."

"You want to believe Regina is your happy ending, fine, just answer me this – if you are so in love with her, why did you cheat on her the moment she was away at college?"

Emma turned, went through the living room while ignoring her mother calling her name, grabbed her jacket off the coat rack by the door and slammed the door shut behind her. She wasted no time in starting her car and leaving her parents' home.

As angry as she was at her mother bringing up her past transgression she knew she was the only one to blame for it. She had cheated on Regina while her girlfriend was away at college and it had torn their relationship apart.

Not for the first time she wished she could go back in time to when their relationship was the strongest. Back then the only thing that Emma thought would ever tear them apart was her own mother. Mary Margaret Swan never wanted her daughter in a relationship with Regina.

_"Hey beautiful," Emma said, wrapping her arms around Regina and giving her a kiss._

_"Hi," Regina said giving her a kiss back. "You ready to go?"_

_"Yes, thanks again for picking me up," Emma said, taking Regina's hand as they walked out to Regina's car. Her own car was in the shop so her struts and shocks could be replaced and she had no ride home after working at the library on a group project for school. Well that wasn't exactly true, one of her classmates would have driven her home but she would take any excuse to spend time with her girlfriend._

_Even though she had to let go of Regina's hand in order for them to get into the car, as soon as they were inside, she took up a position where she could put her hand on Regina's thigh. The move didn't escape Regina's attention as she gave her a smile._

_"Are your parents home?" Emma asked._

_"Probably," Regina said. "My dad at least."_

_"That's a shame," Emma replied. "We could have had some fun."_

_"And that's not possible at your house. I presume I will be dropping you off down the street from your house."_

_Regina started the car and Emma removed her hand. There had been this growing tension lately due to her mother's disapproval of their relationship. In fact, technically, Emma wasn't supposed to be seeing Regina at all. Her mother had forbidden it._

_And Emma wasn't even sure why her mother objected so strongly because it wasn't even a topic that her mother would discuss with her. She was left with the only possibility – her mother was against this because Regina was a woman._

_They went along in silence until Regina pulled the car over down the street from her house. Emma could see her home and could see there were lights on. With her mom being a teacher and her father working at the animal shelter they were usually home at night except for their once a week dinner out. Those dinners out had stopped happening a couple of months ago when her parents came home and caught Emma and Regina kissing on the couch._

_Her mother had asked Regina to leave immediately – not even looking at her, keeping her eyes on Emma. Regina had left and that was the night that her mother had forbidden Emma from continuing the relationship. Ever since then she mostly saw Regina at school and times like these where they could steal some time together. Luckily, her friend Tink had been more than helpful in this regard as she was often Emma's alibi._

_"Are you going to get out of the car?" Regina asked after Emma continued to sit there._

_Emma leaned over and gave her a kiss._

_"I'm sorry about all of this," Emma said._

_"It's not your fault. I know this isn't your choice, this is your mother's doing."_

_"Still sucks."_

_That earned her a small smile. "Yes it does," Regina said. "See you tomorrow at school?"_

_"I'll be counting down the minutes."_

_She got a few more kisses in until she finally exited the vehicle, giving Regina a wave as she drove off. Hefting her bag over her shoulder she began the lonely walk to her house._

Emma felt just as lonely as she drove away from her parents' house. She ended up driving by Regina's parents' house and saw Regina's car parked there. She wondered how long she was planning on staying in town – probably not long, Emma thought. It wouldn't leave her much time and she still hadn't thought of any good way to approach Regina.

She thought about what she had said to her mother – about how she was willing to leave Storybrooke. Regina had asked her before to come with her – to leave and come to college with her but Emma hadn't done it. She wasn't like Regina, she had no desire to leave her home.

That was years ago though and she wondered if she really had it in her to leave.

….

Regina brought the water upstairs to her parents' bedroom. Her father had been released from the hospital and was now recuperating at home. She had the small pitcher for the water that the hospital gave out and she placed it on the bedside table. Her mother was sitting in a chair she had brought up and placed next to the bed where her father was sitting up.

"Can I get you anything else?" Regina asked.

"No, take a seat. I feel like I've barely gotten to see or speak to you since you've been back," he said.

Regina took a seat at the end of the bed. "I've been brought up to speed on all the pertinent issues at city hall," she said. "Everyone there has been helpful."

"They are a good group of people," he said. "But I didn't ask you to sit so we could talk shop. I get the feeling your mother isn't going to allow such talk to happen – at least not in long stretches."

"That is correct," Cora said.

"Tell us about Neal," Henry said. "When do we get to meet him?"

Regina averted her eyes and bit her lip. "I don't know. Like I said, I'm taking the Savannah job so I'm not sure what that will mean for me and him."

"If you really like this guy you shouldn't let your job dictate if you want to be together," Henry said.

"It's complicated," Regina said.

"What does he do for a living?" Cora asked.

"Um … he's a bartender and a part-time musician. He plays the guitar and he's really good at it."

"Is that how you met? Did you hear him playing?"

"Yes," Regina said, forcing a smile. "Things just sort of happened from there."

"Some times it doesn't take much," Henry said. "I was supposed to go on a date with a friend of your mother's not her, but fate had other plans and here we are. All that matters is that you make each other happy."

"He does make me happy," Regina said. This time she didn't have to lie. She loved having Neal in her life. He was everything she wasn't and that worked for them. They somehow seemed to understand each other like no one else could. There was only one other person in her life who she had felt understood her. The thought of Emma came uninvited into her mind once more. She didn't let it linger though – she never did. "He's funny and he cooks, which is a good thing since I rarely have the time for it. He makes sure I don't get overworked and watches out for me. Neal is a good guy. It's funny because he and I have lived in almost the exact same states. When we were getting to know each other it came out. When I was in East Lansing, he had been Ann Arbor. He was in New York City while I was at Cornell. We were both in Boston around the same time. Actually in each place he was there first and I came afterward. He accused me of being a stalker when we finally met in Philly."

She noticed that while her father was smiling at her, her mother was studying her.

"You don't know how happy it is for us to hear you have found someone," Henry said. "We worry about you being so far away. It's good to know there is someone in your life who is taking care of you."

Regina managed to steer the conversation in another direction but it didn't last long before Cora pronounced that Henry needed to rest. Regina gave her father a kiss on the cheek and left the room, going downstairs to get some work done in the library. She was all the way down the stairs when her mother called her name from the top. She waited until Cora made it down as well.

"I admit there are lot of things I don't know," Cora said. "But one thing I do know is that my daughter is gay, so would you like to explain to me who Neal really is?"

Regina was honestly surprised, figuring if anyone would see through her, it would be her dad as he always had a knack for it.

She shrugged. "Have you ever heard of someone being bisexual?" she said crossing her arms in front of her. She didn't want to have this conversation with her mother, not here, not now, not ever really.

"Of course I have," Cora said. "You however are not bi. Come on Regina, talk to me. What is this all about?"

She sighed, "Dad wants to know that I'm ok, I figured that letting him think that I'm in a happy relationship would keep him from worrying. I think we can both agree that him worrying right now is not for the best."

"True, but lying to your father doesn't make it better. Now who is Neal?"

"He's my best friend," Regina said. "We live together. He is a good guy like I said, and he does watch out for me. I can't imagine not having him in my life, so what I said up there was true, except …"

"Except the part where you want us to believe you and Neal are in a relationship," Cora said finishing the statement for her. "Your father and I want to know you are ok, that you are safe and I admit that knowing you have someone like Neal in your life does put me at ease, but Regina you can't keep up this lie forever. At some point your father will need to know the truth."

"I know," she said. "And I will tell him, but not now, not when he just got out of the hospital. You saw him up there, he was smiling at the idea of me and Neal."

"That's because your father is a helpless romantic. He always has been," Cora said. "It's part of why I love him so much. He's sees the good in people and always believes in happy endings. That is all he wants for you my dear – a happy ending. But you are right, now is not the time for your father to be upset in anyway, so I will play along for now. Just promise me that you will tell him in person before you leave."

"I will," Regina said. "I promise."

….

It was Monday morning and Regina was already regretting that this town didn't have a gourmet coffee shop. Her only real choice for coffee – since her mom had forbidden making any at home as it would only make her father want some – was to go to Granny's Diner.

It was early yet. Regina hadn't slept well having had some strange dream that involved a castle although she couldn't remember any other detail. Granny's opened early for the breakfast crowd so she had to wait a little bit to get her to-go coffee. She was walking out when she saw someone standing by her car.

I'm not in the mood for this, she thought.

Steeling herself, she walked over to her vehicle.

"Mrs. Swan," she said as she approached Emma's mother. "Is there something I can do for you?"

As much as she blamed Emma for the end of their relationship, she put some of the blame on the woman standing before her.

"Good morning Regina," Mary Margaret said smiling at her. Regina recognized the same false smile she used to get from Mrs. Swan. "How is your father?"

"Recovering."

"That's good to hear. I have no doubt he will be back in his role as mayor before you know it. I'm sure that will be relief to you not only to know your father is better but also so that you can get back to your own life," Mary Margaret said. "You must be eager to leave Storybrooke once more."

Regina wanted so much to tell this woman to go to hell, but she wasn't going to let this woman ever bother her again.

"I am eager to get back to my life," Regina said. "But I won't be going anywhere until I'm 100 percent sure my dad is Ok and ready to get back to work. Until that time it will be good to get to know the town again. Who knows, maybe I will decide this is the place for me to make a home and a life once more. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get into the office."

She didn't wait for a reaction, merely went around to the driver's side and got in. As she pulled away she wondered what the point of that was beyond Mrs. Swan not wanting her in town. It's not like she had to worry about Emma and her ever getting back together again so why bother approaching her at all.

That woman had a lot of nerve.

Then again she always did. Mrs. Swan had the rare ability to make you think she was better than you. Even before she began to see Emma, Regina had seen it first hand. She actually had Mrs. Swan as a teacher in elementary school and she always felt like she had been treated unfairly by her. She remembered coming home from school one day crying after Mrs. Swan had accused her of copying off of another student during a spelling test. Her mother had stepped in and had words with Mrs. Swan and the principal and after that Mrs. Swan essentially just ignored her.

That was until she began to see Emma.

…..

_Regina was beginning to regret that she agreed to volunteer for the summer youth league. It wasn't that she didn't like children, she loved them, but sports weren't really her thing. She knew that colleges liked to see the volunteering on applications._

_She may have just finished her sophomore year in high school but she was already feeling like she was too far behind the thousands of the other students like her around the country who were wanting to further their education._

_Normally volunteering didn't bother her either but one of the other volunteers dropped out last minute so here she was with 20 children running around playing soccer. It's not like there weren't parents around – they were all around cheering and in some cases yelling at their children._

_Regina's job was supposed to simple – help the kids with their jerseys, make sure everyone was accounted for and generally stay on the sidelines unless needed. Yet here she was in the middle of the field playing referee or something to a bunch of 5 and 6 year olds who didn't understand the game much more than she did._

_She checked her watch, seeing it was almost time to blow the whistle on this half. The head referee – one of the adults – blew the whistle just as a kid kicked the ball which careened into Regina's leg. It didn't hurt but when a kid who didn't hear the whistle thought it was appropriate to keep kicking her ankle was the recipient of the little shoe's point. Again it didn't really hurt, and she gave a weak smile to the kid, but it was just more of what was shaping up to be a bad day._

_She went off to the sideline and took the first seat she could find on the bleachers as the break only last a few minutes. Let the coaches deal with the children, she thought._

_"You don't look like you are having much fun out there."_

_She looked up and behind her to see Emma Swan and Bethany Snider sitting there. She of course knew them from school – had gone through school with both of them since kindergarten. They were friendly with each other but not exactly friends. In fact she tended to not have much to do with Emma because of how she felt about her mother._

_Bethany or Tink as everyone called her was Emma's best friend so Regina hadn't really had much to do with her either, although they had been in some community plays together so she felt she knew her more._

_"Soccer isn't really my sport," she responded._

_"I wasn't aware any sport was," Emma laughed._

_Not appreciating it, Regina turned back hoping that would end any further communication. Apparently today wasn't her day though as Emma moved down the bleachers and took a seat beside her._

_"If you want I could take your shift out there," Emma said._

_"That's not necessary, but thanks."_

_"Of course it's not necessary. I wasn't offering out of some obligation," Emma said. "Look, they're going to be starting back up here in a few minutes. Let me go out there in your place. You stay here and look pretty."_

_"Excuse me," Regina said._

_The whistle blew to signal that the break was almost over._

_Emma nudged her with an elbow and leaned in. "I was paying you a compliment," Emma said. "You are pretty."_

_The whistle blew again and Emma jogged out onto the field, telling the adult referee that she was filling in for Regina. For the next half of the game, Emma was running around the field with the kids, giving them pointers about things and in general looking like she was a having a great time._

_Regina just sat there, still not sure exactly what had happened or why Emma had called her pretty, but the obvious joy Emma was displaying out there intrigued her. Every once in a while Emma would glance in her direction and give her a smile._

_When the game was over Emma high-fived all the kids and Regina got up to begin the process of making sure all the kids were being picked up by a parent or guardian. Once she was done and all the kids were with their families and the park was clearing out, she looked around but she saw no sign of Emma and Bethany so she assumed they left._

_Regina headed off through the park –cutting through it to head home._

_She was walking through the wooded part when Emma came out behind a tree startling her._

_"Sorry," Emma said. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come this way to get home."_

_"You were waiting for me?"_

_"Yeah, thought I would walk you home, if you are going home that is."_

_"Why?"_

_"Do you always question things when someone wants to do something nice for you?" as she had her hands in her back pockets and was rocking back and forth on her feet._

_"No, it's just that you and I don't really know each other well."_

_"Then we get to know each other," Emma said smiling at her again._

_Regina began to walk and Emma started walking with her so Regina stopped again and looked at her._

_"What?" Emma said. "That wasn't a no."_

_Regina began walking again as she was trying to figure out what the motive was for this. Was this some weird bet that Emma had been put up to or a prank of some sort, she wondered._

_The silence between them didn't last long._

_"So um … do you need help next week with the kids I mean? I could make the time. It's not like there is a whole lot to do in this town. It's not like there isn't anything to do, there is but you know I could make the time if you need help."_

_"There is usually another teen volunteer with me," Regina said._

_"Oh," Emma said. "Well I could show up just in case. I mean that was fun and the kids were super cute. And it will keep you from getting kicked again."_

_Regina stopped and looked at her._

_"What?" Emma said. "Do I got something on my face or something?"_

_"You're nervous," Regina said, finally figuring out that Emma's rambling was because of nerves. "Why are you nervous?"_

_Emma's hands went to her back pockets again and she was again shuffling back and forth on her feet. "I don't know. Like you said, we don't know each other real well. You are the mayor's daughter and top in our class and well, I'm just me," Emma said, her eyes directed at the ground between them before looking up. "But I'd kind of like to um get to know you."_

_Regina was taken aback by Emma's piercing gaze and somehow she knew this wasn't a bet or a prank. Emma was being sincere._

_Regina started to walk again and Emma hesitated but caught up to walking beside her._

_"The other volunteer backed out this morning," Regina said. "It's hard to say if that will happen for the next game or not. If it does though, I would appreciate the help."_

_"You would?" Emma responded and Regina didn't need to see her to know she was smiling and she couldn't help but also smile._

_"Yes, I would."_

That day would lead to them spending a lot of time together over the summer and by the end of that summer and heading into their junior year, they shared their first kiss.

….

Emma took a deep breath before entering the mayor's office. Here goes everything she thought. She couldn't come up with any reason or excuse to come see Regina so when Sheriff Graham mentioned needing to get some reports over to the mayor's office Emma had leapt at the chance.

Now she was wondering if she should have been so eager. Would this be any different than when she practically ambushed Regina at the hospital?

It was just she felt like if she could talk to Regina, get Regina to actually speak to her that they would work through this. She had to believe there was a way despite what she had done in the past.

"Deputy Swan," Regina said, not looking up at her. She was seated behind the desk and the secretary had already buzzed in to say she was here. "I had requested the sheriff bring me the latest crime reports."

As part of her catching up on anything, she had requested the crime reports in order to review the numbers over the past year as the sheriff was requesting some additional money for his budget.

Emma strode over to the desk and placed the folder with the reports in it on the desk.

"Sheriff Graham is busy, he asked me to bring them by."

"Well in that case, thank you," she said, this time she did look up. "That will be all."

"Regina."

"I said that will be all," Regina said, her eyes going back down to the paper work in front of her.

Emma exhaled deeply. "How is your dad?"

"He's fine. He came home yesterday."

"That's good. Tell him I said hi," Emma said.

"I will."

Emma took a step back and bit her bottom lip. "Regina, can we talk?"

"I can't imagine what we would have to talk about."

"Us Regina. I want to talk about us."

"There is no us Deputy Swan."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Emma said. "Could you at least look at me?" Regina looked up at her. "Thank you, now could you maybe try calling me by my name?"

"Get out of my office."

"It's not your office. It's your father's office, unless you've decided to stop running away for once."

Regina stood. "Get out."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I'm sorry for never being able to say the right things to you but I'm asking for a chance to just talk. You and I. Not here, not like this. Please. I'm not asking for much."

"You lost the right to ask anything of me a long time ago," Regina said. "We don't have anything to say to each other. Maybe we never did. Good day deputy."

Emma nodded and then turned and walked out. She got to her cruiser and slammed the door shut. Perhaps it was time to walk away, she thought. After all, that woman in there was not her Regina.

…

Regina stayed working late that night mostly because she felt distracted all afternoon – ever since Emma had stopped by the office.

She had been mean to Emma. She knew this, and she found it bothered her. It wasn't as if she wanted to speak with Emma, she didn't, but she shouldn't have been rude.

A headache had formed that afternoon and it wasn't going away. Checking the time, she saw it was already close to 9 p.m. She had worked through dinner (not for the first time in her life) so she decided to call it a night and hope that there was something to eat at her parents' house.

When she got into her car she found she had no desire to go home and she ended up driving around town. She drove by spots in town where she had spent time – the high school, the library and park. When she got to there, she got out of her car and went walking through the park despite the late hour.

As she got closer to the field where she spent many summer hours volunteering she saw that someone was sitting on the bleachers. She was coming up to the bleachers from behind so she could have stopped and turned away when she saw her sitting there, but she didn't. She came around the bleachers and took a seat on the first level of the bleachers just a foot or so away from her.

Neither woman spoke at first.

"I'm sorry," Regina said. "Despite what happened to us in the past I should not have been so rude to you this afternoon."

Emma had been sitting there, her hands clasped in front of her staring out at the field. Now she turned toward Regina, straddling the bench.

"Do you hate me?" Emma said. "Not that I would blame you, but I have to ask. After all this time, do you still hate me?"

Regina thought about this. She had reasons to hate Emma. This woman now sitting beside was the person she once believed she would spend her life with. Then it all shattered – because Emma cheated on her.

Her mind was telling her yes she hated her. But …

"I don't know," she responded. "Until I got back here, I didn't really have to think about it."

"So you haven't thought about me at all in all these years?"

"Of course I have, but every time I do, I can't help but think about it all ended."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I was sorry then, I'm sorry now and I will keep saying I'm sorry for as long as it takes for you to know how badly I feel about it."

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I'm a total idiot," Emma said. "I don't have a good answer. Believe me, I've thought about that night so many times, wishing I could take it back."

"But you can't. You can't take it back," Regina said. "You slept with him. Of all the people in this town you could have chosen to cheat on me with it had to be Killian Jones. I think that may have hurt more than the actual betrayal. It had to be him."  
Emma could hear the pain in Regina's voice and it made her again focus over on the field. She could understand why Killian was a source of added emotion for Regina.

In high school Killian was the proverbial jock and since she was also involved in sports she had been in the same circle of friends as Killian. Like Regina, she had known him since elementary school but where she hadn't known Regina super well, she did know Killian.

Their parents were friends so she had been to every one of his birthday parties and vice versa.

It wasn't until high school that things had become complicated between them. By their sophomore year Killian had been doing things that began to make her uncomfortable – putting his arm around her constantly, referring to her as "his girl" and other things that made her think he was wanting to shift the nature of their relationship.

In fact when she began to hang out with Regina, Regina had thought she was dating Killian. She had quickly cleared that misconception up.

Clearing that up with Killian was not as quick. She had wanted to remain friends with him, but in the end that was probably part of a bad string of decisions she made.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

Regina stood up. "I understand that you are sorry, but I don't know that it ever really mattered that you were. We're both adults now. We both have our own lives now. Anyway, I should get going. Good-bye."

"Wait," Emma said, grabbing her wrist. "Please. Wait." She let go and Regina faced her, waiting for her to speak. "I know this is going to sound crazy but ever since you came back into town, I was thinking that … well would you like to go on a date with me?"

"What?" Regina asked incredulously.

"Hear me out," Emma said. "All those years ago I fucked up and I lost you. And in some ways I feel like my life has been fucked up ever since. I was waiting outside the hospital to see you because it's been too long since I've seen you and I want the chance to show you that person from all those years ago, she's not me. I'm still the one who came to that game that summer just so I could have an excuse to talk to you. You didn't know that did you? I never told you. I was there because of you because there was always something about you but I could never quite find the right time to talk to you and I never knew what to say to you. Maybe I still don't but I …"

"Stop," Regina said. "I think this conversation has taken a turn that … um …I'm just going to go."

Regina turned and walked away. She was probably about 15 feet when Emma yelled. "That wasn't a no."


	23. Chapter 23

Regina was again tired when she stopped by Granny's the next morning to get coffee. After leaving Emma in the park she had gone home and spent part of the evening on the phone with Neal telling him what had occurred.

There was still a sense of disbelief that Emma had thought it would be a good idea to ask her out on a date.

Neal didn't help matters when he said she shouldn't just brush off this opportunity.

_"How can you even say that?" she asked._

_"All I'm saying is if you are really want to put the past in the past and move forward then it means actually speaking with Emma. I know she hurt you and I'm not trying to downplay that,"_

_"It sure seems like you are."_

_He sighed. "In all the time we've known each other I haven't seen you speak about any other woman like you have about Emma. The fact she can still elicit an emotional response from you shows that she's still there somewhere in your heart. If you are ready to let her go entirely then so be it, but you can't do that by merely turning your back on her and leaving town. Go talk to her. Make her understand why what she did hurt you so much and why it still hurts."_

_She didn't say anything at first as she thought about what he said. It did still hurt – seeing her hurt because every time she looked at Emma she saw a whole other future than the one she was living. It hurt because when Regina had returned to Storybrooke that summer after her freshman year she had considered not going back to Michigan_ _State. She had debated it over and over again in her mind as the school year came to a close because she missed Emma that much._

_But when she came back home it was only to find out that Emma had slept with Killian while she was away._

_She hadn't even understood the concept of a broken heart until then._

_The pain was visceral and it forced her out of Storybrooke – going back to East Lansing, Michigan before summer had ended._

_It didn't matter that it had only happened that one time between Emma and Killian – one time was all it took to strip away that other future._

_"I don't know that I can," Regina said finally. "I don't know that I'm strong enough to have that conversation with her."_

_"You are the strongest person I know so don't give me that crap," Neal said. "It's ok to be afraid. I get it. You loved her with all you had."_

_And she really had which is why Regina worried not only about talking about what happened between them but also afraid of being close to Emma and constantly wondering what if – what if things had been different for them._

_"I just think it's best if I don't open that door once again," Regina said._

_"Ok," Neal said. "Whatever you decide, you know I'll have your back."_

_"Thank you."_

She walked into Granny's and almost walked back out when she saw Emma was sitting at the counter. She straightened her posture and walked up to the counter.

"Good morning Regina," Ruby said. As soon as she did, Emma who appeared to be nursing a cup of hot chocolate looked over at her. "What can I get you this morning?"

"Coffee with cream and sugar. To go."

"Be just a moment," Ruby said moving away to get it.

"Hi," Emma said.

"Good morning," Regina responded.

"When did you start drinking coffee?"

"Years ago," she answered. She knew a more specific answer was her sophomore year in college, but she didn't feel any particular need to mention that time in her life. She had gone back to college and thrown herself into her studies in order to keep her mind off Emma.

"Oh," Emma said.

They didn't say anything else as Regina stood there and waited for Ruby to return with her coffee. When she did, Regina paid her and turned to go.

"Hold up," Emma said. "I'll walk you out."

Regina almost told her that was entirely not necessary especially since her car was parked right outside but it was too early for her to get into it with Emma so she paused while Emma got off the stool and walked with her. Emma pulled ahead in order to open the door for her and Regina thanked her, hoping Emma would see her car was right there so they wouldn't be going far.

"About last night," Emma said, once the door to the diner was closed behind them. "I'm sorry if I caught you off guard with the whole asking you out on a date thing. I don't want you to think I don't want to go out on a date with you because I do, but maybe a date is a little too soon yet. Maybe we could start with um drinks. I'd even settle for coffee one morning if that is what you would like."

So much for keeping this simple, Regina thought. Somehow she got the feeling Emma wasn't going to give up on this idea.

"What I would like is to get to work," Regina said. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she saw Mrs. Swan coming up the sidewalk. Could this morning get worse, Regina thought as she saw Mary Margaret eyeing her and Emma. "And I agree with you that a date would be a bit much given our history."

"But what about coffee?" Emma said, her expression hopeful despite Regina shutting down the idea of a date.

Regina saw Mary Margaret had stopped outside of Granny's and was openly watching them. She could almost feel the woman's disapproval coming off of her in waves. It also made her want to do something that Mrs. Swan would surely disapprove of.

"Coffee would be acceptable," she said.

"Really?" Emma said, smiling her biggest smile yet. "That's great."

"Saturday," Regina said opening her car door to get inside. "Call the mayor's secretary tomorrow and we will firm up a time."

"Saturday's great," Emma said. "Thank you."

Regina closed the door and started the car. As she drove off she saw Mrs. Swan approaching Emma. Regina felt a little bad in seeing how grateful Emma was with this small thing of getting coffee. She knew she shouldn't encourage Emma but the idea of Mrs. Swan hearing of this was too good for her to pass up.

Regina was well into her work day when the secretary buzzed in to say Mr. Gold was there to see her. She didn't have him as a scheduled appointment but she told the secretary to send him in.

"Hello Regina," he said as he came closer. He took a seat without her saying anything. "I thought I would stop in and see how things were faring."

"Everything is in order so far," she said. "Most of the items that were on my father's agenda were either simple matters or ones which I could catch myself up on fairly easily. Everyone has been very helpful so far."

She couldn't help but get the feeling he was studying her. It wasn't the first time she had felt this way in his presence. While he was a business owner in town he had also been on city council for many years which meant he had worked with her father over the years. Every time she was around him she thought he paid her extra attention – not in a creepy older man way, but like he was expecting something from her.

She remembered that when she was graduating high school he had asked her of her plans and when she told him she was leaving town to go to college he was practically the one person who was happy for her. He had encouraged her to spread her wings as it were and explore the world.

In fact every time she had been home and they had the occasion to speak he seemed interested in where she was living at or going to next. Again, it wasn't creepy but it was odd.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said. "So how are things outside of Storybrooke? Your father often speaks with pride about your various projects all the time. You've been in Philadelphia, correct?"

"Yes, but I'm finished with my work there and will be moving on soon."

"Oh, really, where to this time?"

"Georgia," she answered. She saw no reason to say specifically where.

"Where at in Georgia?" he asked.

"Savannah."

"Ah, a very historic city. You are probably eager to get out of here then."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know my father is ok."

"Indeed. Indeed," he said.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" Regina asked.

"Go right ahead."

"Why did you propose that I take over as interim mayor?"

"As I said at the hospital, I know you have background in working with municipalities so you have an understanding that sometimes things take time. I'm afraid to the layperson they often think that a city can merely snap its fingers and like magic things like potholes can be fixed or streets can be paved. The idea was to choose someone that had an understanding that a lot more goes into the decision process than merely wanting something. There are some in this town if given such power would probably bankrupt the city within weeks with their decision making. I trusted that you, like your father, would be a good steward of the city while in charge. Plus, you haven't been here – at least as far as living here in quite some time which means you aren't likely to be swayed or influenced by others. A mayor must maintain independence, something your father has done well at over the years. What can I say, to me, you were the logical choice."

"I appreciate that you have that much faith in me," Regina said. "Honestly, I'm just trying to keep things in place until my father is well enough to take back over. If he had his way, he would be in this office right now but my mother isn't likely to let that happen for a while yet."

"As she shouldn't," Gold said as he stood up. "After all you have things well in hand so there is no reason for your father to needlessly hurry back. He must think of his health after all."

….

The whole day flew by or so it seemed to Emma. She was unknowingly smiling most of the day and once her shift was over she headed over to see Tink. She had texted her earlier to let her know about coffee with Regina but now that she actually had a date – well at least some alone time with Regina – she needed to talk it out with her best friend so she didn't blow this chance.

When she got over to Tink's place she was greeted by her husband, Daniel, who also happened to be Emma's cousin.

"I understand you have a reason for that big smile on your face," he said giving her a hug.

"Maybe."

"More than maybe," he said. "I hear you have a coffee date with the elusive Regina Mills. I think Tink was almost as excited about it as you are so I will leave you ladies to talk."

She always liked Daniel and when he started to date Tink she was worried at first. They were two important people in her life and she was afraid that if things didn't work out that she would be put in a bad position. But thankfully it all worked out for the best and she was beyond happy when they said their vows.

Tink and her settled in the kitchen while Daniel was out in the living room.

"A part of me still can't believe she was willing to have coffee," Emma said after relaying exactly how things had gone that morning. "I mean this could be my chance. This could be the turning point."

"Ok, slow down," Tink cautioned. "The fact Regina was willing to have coffee with you means she must be over giving you the cold shoulder, but there is still a long way to go. From what you told me about your talk last night she is still hurt over what happened with you and Killian."

"I know," Emma said. "But I knew I was going to have to deal with that at some point."

"You two never really talked about it."

"She never gave me the chance to. I regretted it the moment it happened and if Killian could have kept his mouth shut."

"Even if he hadn't you would have had to tell Regina the truth. You couldn't keep something like from her."

"You're right," Emma said. "Maybe if she had heard from me first then all of this could have been avoided. Maybe I could have explained …"

"What would you have said?"

For nearly a minute Emma sat there saying nothing and Tink waited patiently for when Emma was ready to speak.

"I would have told her that before I slept with him, I had been at the town line. My bug was sitting there. I had a bag packed and sitting in the back seat and I was just there staring at that town sign out there. I was trying to psyche myself up to drive across that line, to leave Storybrooke and head toward Michigan."

"Wait, what?" Tink said. "You never told me that you were actually going to go after her."

"Because I didn't," Emma said. "I must have sat out there on that road for two hours or more. And I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave. I wanted to. I wanted to surprise her up there at the university. I wanted to tell her that I loved her and I couldn't bear being in Storybrooke without her. But I couldn't leave. I don't even know why I couldn't, I just couldn't. So when I finally decided to stop being a fool and sitting out there, I came back into town got pissed drunk and ruined my life by sleeping with Killian."

"Wow," Tink said, sitting back. "I can't believe you were going to go after her. Yes, we had talked about it back then but I can't believe you were going to do it and you never told me."

"Like I said, I didn't go through with it and after what happened with Killian I didn't see any reason to bring it up. I mean if I had just left, made it across that line then I would never have gotten drunk and slept with him. I would have made it to Michigan and I would have … I would have stayed with her forever."

"You need to tell her that. Tell her that you were coming for her."

"Yeah, but I didn't. What if she thinks it's some ploy on my part?"

"Good point," Tink said. "Still, she did agree to coffee so that means at least a part of her is willing to give you a chance. Maybe you should start slow. Don't bring up her leaving or staying away. Don't mention that you were going to come for her and whatever you do, do not mention Killian."

"Not mentioning him was something I figured out on my own thank you," she said. "I just hate it that she looks at me like I'm this horrible person. Yes, I get why she does, but there has to be something I can do to make her look at me like she used to."

"Sorry to interrupt," Daniel said. "I couldn't help but overhear a bit. Do you mind if I give my two cents?"

"Go right a head."

"You want her to look at you like she still loves you," he said. "Which means you are going to have to make her fall in love with you again. So the answer is to go back to the beginning. You barely knew her when you decided to approach her that first time. Well, forgive me for saying, but you barely know her now. None of us do. She's been gone for so long. What you need to do is get to her know her all over again."

Emma thought about it a moment. When she was getting to know Regina that first summer it was if the world was on speed up because she could easily get lost in talking with her for hours on end. They used to spend time wherever they could and Emma loved it that Regina was also a good listener. She would sit there and listen to whatever Emma had to say – despite how silly it was at times – as if it was the most important information she had ever heard.

Regina made her feel important.

"I can do that," she said, nodding her head.

….

"Hi daddy," Regina said, after coming home Friday night from work. She gave him a kiss on the top of the head and took a seat on the chair. "I see mom let you come downstairs."

He was lying on the couch, a place he had tried to go to the day after returning home, but Cora had shut down that idea. She didn't want Henry having to go up and down the stairs and so he had been put on bed arrest by her.

"She couldn't keep me a prisoner forever."

"I heard that," Cora yelled out from the kitchen.

"You were meant to," he yelled back.

Regina smiled at the banter. Her parents often went back and forth like that playfully and it wasn't until that moment that she realized she missed it. She had avoided coming back to Storybrooke for so long and even when she did come back she never stayed long. She had distanced not just from the place, but also from her parents.

"Hey, where did that beautiful smile go?" he asked.

She gave him a small smile in return. "I was just thinking. I'm sorry I haven't been back to see you guys in such a long time. I promise, I'll do better though. I'll answer the phone when you call and I'll come back and visit."

"And bring Neal with you?"

"Yeah," she said, even as she felt the guilt from the lie. "I'm sure he would be up for a road trip."

"You must miss him."

"I do," she responded. It wasn't a lie. She missed coming home and having Neal there to sit on the couch with as they talked about anything and everything. Neal could get her to relax after a long day with a simple joke or even a hug. "He understands that this is where I need to be right now though."

"Have you given any more thought about moving to Savannah or staying in Philly with him?"

She had thought about it, but she hadn't come up with an answer. Neither option seemed quite right to her and she didn't understand why. She had never been this hesitant before about a move. With her other moves she had been confident that the places she was going were where she needed to be at that place and time. It was hard to explain, even to herself, that it was almost like something was pulling her in a certain direction. Before coming here she would have said that Philly was where that pull was at. But since being back, she wasn't so sure.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Is it possible for Neal to move to Savannah with you if that is what you choose to do? Have you two even talked about it?"

They had spoken about it a little, but Neal was more in the corner of her staying in Philly and going to Georgia as needed. He said he had moved around a lot – been moving around since he was a kid and he was tired of it. His mother had left when he was still a child, leaving him behind with his father. The two of them couldn't see eye to eye on things – his father, he said had turned cruel and power hungry. When it became apparent his father wasn't going to change his ways, Neal took off. He wasn't even 18 yet and living on his own.

The two of them were so different but somehow made being friends and roommates work.

"We've talked about it," she said. "But I don't think he wants to leave Philadelphia, at least not for Georgia."

"He may not want to leave it for Georgia, but if he wants to leave it for you, that is an entirely different matter," Henry said.

She thought about Emma suddenly. She hadn't been willing to leave Storybrooke to even try to go to university with her. Regina had wanted Emma to go with her, wanted to be able to still see her every day, but Emma didn't want to leave the small town they grew up in. She wondered if she didn't like returning to Storybrooke, not because of the hurt that Emma caused, but because she resented this town and the seemingly supernatural hold it had on people.

"I'm sure he and I will talk about it more when I return," she said.

She excused herself from the conversation after that using the excuse to check on how dinner was coming along. She had made it home in time to eat – something her mother had asked her to do so that her father wouldn't feel the need to push himself to get back to work because his daughter was spending too much time at the office. Cora ate out in the living room with Henry and Regina sat at the empty dining room table for her meal. After eating, she helped clear the dishes while Cora made sure Henry got back upstairs so he could get ready for bed. He was still weak and tired and Regina hated seeing him like that.

She washed the dishes by hand instead of using the dishwasher, needing a task to concentrate on. Her mind kept going back to Emma.

_"I don't understand why you won't at least try," Regina said._

_"It's too late for me to get accepted anyway," Emma said. "And how do you know you won't get up there and hate the place. You never even went to visit before you decided to just up and move there."_

_"Is it such a bad thing that I want to branch out, experience life, see other places and not sit around here the rest of my life?"_

_Their arguments had gotten more frequent as the time neared for Regina to go off to university. Regina knew they were only disagreeing because neither wanted to be without the other, but they couldn't agree on where they should be together at._

_"How can you say you love me if all you want to do is leave me?" Emma responded._

_"Don't do that," Regina said. "Don't make me feel guilty about leaving just because you are too scared to defy your parents and actually be with me."_

_"But I am with you," Emma countered. "My parents know that and they know nothing they say is going to stop us from being together."_

_It was true that Emma's parents, well it was always more her mother than her father, had backed off the ultimatum that Emma not see Regina. It had all come to a head in the time leading up to prom. Regina had broken up with Emma when Emma had agreed to go to prom with Killian since her parents wouldn't allow her to go with Regina. Emma had tried to convince her that once they were actually at prom where her parents wouldn't be around that Emma would spend the night dancing with her and not Killian and that Killian was aware of this and cool with it._

_It was too much for Regina though. She was tired of sneaking around with Emma. Everyone knew the two of them were together, and for the most part it wasn't an issue with anyone but Emma's mother. So when Emma had told her of this plan of going to the prom with Killian, Regina had broken it off with her then and there. She wasn't going to continue on like this she told Emma. She told her that she loved her, but she couldn't be with her, not like this, anymore._

_Regina hadn't planned on going to prom at that point but since she was up for prom queen, she felt like she had no choice. She had ended up going with Emma's cousin Daniel, who was in the grade below them._

_Emma had asked her to dance not long after they had arrived, but Regina turned her down._

_They spent the evening talking to people in their own circle of friends, stealing glances at each other and dancing with other people._

_Then came the announcement of king and queen of the prom. When the class president announced Killian's name, Regina bowed her head in silent prayer that she wouldn't be named prom queen. Then her name was called._

_The crown was placed on her head and despite it being some cheap thing, it felt heavy to her. Then Killian had a hold of her hand and was leading her out to the dance floor for the traditional king and queen dance – the biggest reason she hadn't wanted to be named prom queen._

_Ever since she had started dating Emma, Killian had not outright done anything to her beyond a few crass comments that he played off like a joke. She could tell he wasn't joking however. She didn't like the way he looked at Emma, like she was some item he had to have. And lately, she didn't like the looks he gave her._

_She tried to keep her distance from him while dancing, but he pulled her in closer._

_"Looks like one of us is going to get to sleep with Emma tonight. Unless of course you want to join us. How about it, you up for a prom royalty threesome?"_

_"Don't be an ass," she said._

_She tried to pull back from him, but he again held her tight, this time letting his hand slip down from her back to her butt, which he gave a little squeeze. She was about to push him away this time, but then there was Emma pushing them apart. She shoved Killian in the chest._

_"Don't you ever touch her again," Emma growled._

_Then she was turning and grabbing Regina's hand and pulling her out of the gymnasium._

_They had spent the rest of the night huddled up in Emma's car, saying very little to each other, but knowing that somehow they were meant to be together. The next morning she dropped Regina back off at her house and hours later she came back. Regina had opened the door to see Emma standing there with a single rose in her hand, and asked her if she wanted to go for a drive._

_Emma told her how she had spent most of the day talking with her parents, making it clear to them that she wanted to be with Regina and they could either support her or once she graduated she was gone and until they were willing to accept that Regina and her were together they could forget they had a daughter._

_Emma apologized to her for not having stood up to her parents sooner._

_Now here they were arguing once more._

_"I don't want to keep having this fight," Regina said._

_"I don't either. I just want to be with you," Emma said. "I wish you would stay."_

_"And I wish you would go with me."_

When Regina finished with the dishes, she poured herself a glass of wine. She was sitting at the table with it in front of her when her mom returned and poured her own glass and joined her.

"Your father tells me you are going to make more of an effort to come back home for visits in the future."

Regina took a sip of the wine. "Well, we all know I'm the one who will have to make the effort, since my own parents won't," she said. She didn't really know why she felt like being antagonistic all of a sudden, but she wanted to be. She wanted an answer to the question she had long wondered about. "In all the years, have you two ever really seriously considered coming to see me for once? Why does it always have to be on me to come back here? I'm the bad person for not returning here, but you, you never even showed up to see me graduate college."

"It's not like we didn't plan on coming to your graduation. You know we got hit by that flood that spring. We couldn't make it through parts of the town, much less get out of town," Cora said.

"Ok, bad example. How about any other day when it wasn't flooding or the snow storm that happened when I got my masters, what about all those times when there was nothing stopping you from coming to see your daughter except for your own decision not to?" she said. "What is so god damn special about this town that it makes everyone want to stay here?"

"Is it such a bad thing to love where you live?" Cora asked. "Your father and I love living here, as do a bunch of other people. When you find the place you feel is home, you will know it too. A lot of that feeling of home comes from the people you choose to share it with. Should your father and I have made more of an effort to come see you, yes we should have. But you never put in much effort in wanting us to come see you. How many times have we talked on the phone where all you have done is talked about how busy you were or how you were about to fly to this city or that city? Or how about all the unreturned phone calls and messages? Your father had a heart attack and you couldn't even answer the phone when I called. Instead of asking what is so special about this town, maybe you should ask yourself why are you so afraid of this town and every other town you have moved to and not returned to?"

Without another word Cora got up, taking her wine glass with her leaving the room and Regina alone with her thoughts.


	24. Chapter 24

Emma was extra nervous that morning, waking up early and getting to Granny's a full 30 minutes before she was supposed to meet Regina.

She had already drank a coffee before Regina appeared – right on time of course, and dressed like she was going to the office. Emma quickly got out of the booth and stood to welcome her. She could feel her cheeks straining from the smile on her face.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," Regina said less enthusiastically than Emma would have hoped for but she gave a mental reminder to take it slow. Regina slid into her side of the booth and Emma reclaimed her own seat.

"Thanks for coming," Emma said.

"You're welcome."

Ruby came over and Regina ordered her coffee and Emma got her own refilled.

"So how have you been? I mean besides the stuff with you dad; how are you?"

"I've been good."

"That's good," Emma said, not sure what to do with that answer. Regina was already keeping her eyes on anything but Emma which wasn't every reassuring. She took a deeper breath to calm her nerves as silence stretched out between them.

"I heard you've been living and working in Philadelphia, what's that like?"

Regina finally made eye contact with her. "You mean what's it like living some place that isn't a small town in Maine. Well, it's great being the only person from this town that seems to realize there is a whole wide world out there. It's great that I get to experience that world instead of staying here where we put on the exact same Miner's Day celebration every year or hear the same speech at the lighting of the Christmas Tree in the town square. It's great knowing that when I leave here I don't have to worry about my parents stopping in for a surprise visit because God forbid they ever visit their daughter."

Regina stopped as if she hadn't realized she had said those words out loud. Emma saw sadness in her eyes and instinctively she reached out and touched Regina's hand only for Regina to pull back.

"I'm sorry. I'm not in the mood for coffee," she said as she stood up prepared to leave.

"Hold on," Emma said rushing to stand. "Wait."

She went over to the counter and spoke with Ruby, handing over some money to her. Regina watched her, wondering what she was doing even as Emma held up one finger to indicate she should wait. Finally Ruby put two to-go cups in front of Emma who gathered them up and returned to her.

"Let's go." Emma motioned to the door with her head as she said it.

"Emma …"

"Come on. I have two hot chocolates since you aren't in the mood for coffee, my car is right out there. Let's get out of here. I happen to know a spot with a great view."

Regina paused before speaking. "Fine, but we're not taking that car of yours. You would think that you could have afforded a new car by now. That thing was old when we were in high school."

"Sure I can afford a new one, but the bug is a classic. Besides I have a lot of good memories tied to that car, a lot of them featuring you. Now let's get moving before these hot chocolates get too cold."

Regina led the way out, holding the door open for Emma since she had her hands full. She also opened the car door for her as well. Emma put the cups in the holders.

"Swanky car, yours or a rental?"

"Mine," Regina said as she buckled up and then started the car. "I assume by a spot with a view you mean the overlook."

"Of course."

They drove up to the overlook, which was a small park with a view of the coast, mostly in silence. Once there they took seats on the bench and Emma handed Regina her hot chocolate. After each woman took a couple of sips, Emma broke the silence.

"Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing."

"I guess I never really thought about it, but since you mentioned it, I never connected the two – that your parents haven't left here meant they had never visited you," Emma said. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault," Regina said. She kept her eyes forward, looking out at the water.

Despite saying it was nothing, she told Emma about how she had told her father that she would make more of an effort to come back and visit and how that prompted the later discussion with her mother.

"I just wish I knew why this town holds such an appeal to people and why …" she trailed off.

There was a pause before Emma finished the thought for her. "And why it doesn't have the same appeal to you. You can blame me for that I'm sure."

Regina looked over at her like she wanted to say something but instead turned back to watching the waves. Emma felt the distance between them in that moment. Back before all of this, they would have been sitting on this bench without any space between them. Regina would have had her head leaning on Emma's shoulder, snuggled into her while Emma had her arm around her. They would have been talking about anything and everything or else sitting there silent enjoying their closeness.

The beautiful smile that was always so easy to appear on Regina's face was no longer there. Instead there was this mask in its place – a mask meant to keep the emotions at bay, to seem calm and in control.

Emma hated that this was who Regina had become and hated that she probably had a hand in making her this closed off person.

She wasn't going to give up though. The Regina she knew and loved had to be in there still.

"What's Philadelphia like?" Emma asked. "Do you have a favorite spot? Something like this?"

"Favorite spot?" Regina said, biting her lip as she thought about it a moment. "I don't know that I have a favorite. The city has a lot of spots that steeped in history."

"Well if I came for a visit, what would you recommend I see?"

Regina again looked at her, giving her a curious expression before speaking. "There are all the tourist spots of course – Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Elfreth's Alley – these places are always part of the recommended tour," she said. "When I first went there I took a couple of tours. I don't really like guided tours like that but I take them in order to experience how a city portrays itself to tourists, to get a feel of how it presents itself to the world at large. After I get done with that nonsense I just take a walk. Pick a street and take a walk. Then you pick another the next day and the next day."

She began telling Emma about some of those walks and the buildings and houses she admired. Emma would occasionally interject with questions about why she liked a certain building and Regina would explain about some of the architectural aspects that she liked the most. She spoke in detail about some of the places that Emma felt like she could actually see them.

Before either of them knew it nearly two hours had passed them by. It was Regina who noticed it first.

"I should drop you back off at the diner. I have work to get done today."

"You shouldn't work on a Saturday Madame Mayor."

"The work needs to get done regardless of the day."

Reluctantly Emma stood knowing she had gotten all she was going to get from Regina for the day. Still she felt ecstatic that they had managed to talk as long as they did. As Regina had talked more and more, she became more relaxed, more animated in her expressions and the way she described the places she had seen. It made Emma not only feel good but gave her a glimpse of the old Regina.

Regina drove them back to the diner and parked behind Emma's car.

"Thank you for the hot chocolate," Regina said.

"You're welcome. Thanks for going out with me, I mean not going out, but you know um spending time with me," Emma said. "Maybe we could get together again soon."

"Maybe."

"That's not a no."

"No it's not."

Emma wished for something more resolute, but knew she would have to take what she could get. She got out of the car, but before shutting the door, she bent back down to look at Regina. "You know as a deputy, I should probably caution you about beautiful, young women going walking alone in the big city," she said. "Especially at night."

"I know, I know, Neal warns me about it regularly."

"Who is Neal?" Emma asked not missing a beat.

She saw Regina was thinking over her answer, the relaxed atmosphere they had been in disappeared at the mention of Neal.

Regina glanced down at her center console then up at Emma. "Neal and I, we live together."

"Like roommates?"

"He is more than a roommate."

"Oh," Emma said. She paused not knowing what to say, but feeling a tightness in her chest. "I should let you go. So you can get to work. Bye."

She shut the door, not waiting around to hear if Regina said goodbye back and she was in her car and pulling away without looking back.

…

Regina felt bad and it was keeping her from accomplishing much of anything. Ever since Emma had sped off from the diner, she had felt guilty. She hadn't meant to bring up Neal, but when Emma had said that bit about walking alone at night, it slipped out of her mouth before she had given it any thought. Then when she asked who Neal was Regina had to make a quick decision.

She hadn't lied, or at least that was what she had been telling herself to assuage her guilt. Neal was more than just a roommate. Still she knew she had left the same impression on Emma that she had with her dad about Neal.

The expression of hurt on Emma's face, even if it was for only the moment it took for Emma to walk away had bothered Regina. Despite what had happened between them in the past she truly had intended on hurting Emma.

She hadn't wanted to hurt Emma because she didn't want to feel like she had to get even with her.

_Regina smiled at Emma as they walked hand in hand along the pathway in the park. It had been nearly three weeks since she had returned to Storybrooke after finishing her first year at university. Since returning they had barely spent time away from each other._

_"We're going to be late for the movie if we don't hurry," Regina said._

_"I could think of other things to do if we happen to miss it," Emma said, leaning and kissing her on the neck. The first day she was back in town she had gone to dinner with her parents, but as soon as it was over she was headed over to Emma's place. She had gotten a small apartment shortly after graduation and she was currently working two jobs to support herself. "We could go back to my place."_

_Regina laughed. "You are incorrigible."_

_"Is that a yes?"_

_"Yes."_

_They walked to the edge of the park where Emma's car was at, but there was another vehicle behind it now. She felt Emma's hand slip from hers and then she saw the reason for it – Killian Jones was standing there leaning up against his car._

_"If it ain't my two favorite ladies," he said walking up to them._

_"What are you doing here?" Emma said._

_"You haven't been returning my calls," he said. "I see now why you have been busy." He looked at Regina from toes to head. "You are looking as beautiful as always Regina. I bet you look even better naked."_

_"Hey," Emma said, pushing Killian. "Don't you speak to her like that."_

_"Fine," Killian said putting his hands up in mock surrender. "I apologize Ms. Mills."_

_He bowed down before her. "I apologize if I offended you. It's just that I've seen our girl Emma naked so I thought maybe since she had changed her mind about sailing on my ship, you might as well."_

_Regina looked over at Emma._

_"Oh wait," Killian said. "Our girl here didn't tell you? We had a rather hot night while you were off in Michigan. I'm surprised Swan didn't tell you – I know I would be bragging if I had slept with both the prom king and queen. And believe me, it was worth the wait to feel her between my legs. I can't imagine how you can stand leaving her. Well, I can tell you two have some things to talk about. Later Swan. Remember my offer Regina, anytime anywhere."_

_Regina couldn't recall noticing him walk away as she had turned toward Emma._

_"Was he telling the truth?"_

_"Regina, let me explain."_

_Regina stepped back as Emma reached out to her._

_"You slept with him."_

_"Please, just let's go back to my place and we can talk about it."_

_"How could you …"_

_"I was drunk," Emma said. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry Regina. I never intended for it to happen. You were away and …"_

_"And what, it was my fault?" Regina said, tears coming down her face. "It was my fault because I left. I asked you to go with me."_

_"I know," Emma replied, her own tears coming down. "I know. Please, I know messed up, but I love you. You know I love you. What happened with Killian was nothing, it's you I love."_

_"And this is how you show it."_

_Emma reached out for her again and Regina blocked her from touching her and she backed up. "Leave me alone."_

_She turned and walked away. In less than a week she was on her way back to Michigan._

Picking up the phone, she dialed the one person she could trust.

"Hey," Neal said.

"I need you," Regina said.

…

Emma took another drink from her beer. She knew she should probably stop drinking – she was already past the point of needing a ride home. She had been there for hours – unable to come to grips with what had happened. She had lost Regina – lost her for good.

She knew it was silly. In reality she had lost Regina a long time ago.

Still, she had thought she had a chance – as small as it may have been – to put the past behind them.

The day had started off so well. When they were up at the overlook talking it felt so right. Then Neal. She kept picturing what this man must look like, what he must be like, and how he had probably never hurt Regina.

"You've been ignoring Tink's calls all day so she sent me out to look for you," Daniel said, as he took a seat at the bar next to her. He waved off the bartender. "We guessed that things didn't go great with Regina."

"It was going great until Neal happened."

"Who is Neal?"

"He's Regina's 'more than a roommate'" she said making air quotes. "He's the guy that gets to sleep with her because I was horrible person for one night 15 years ago."

"Come on, let me take you home."

"No," she said. "I'm gonna stay right here until I drink enough that I can't feel anything. I don't want to feel anything."

"I know it hurts."

"Do you? Do you know Daniel, because you get to go home to your wife every night. You get to go home and you get to kiss her and hold her or curl up on the couch and watch a movie with her. I go home to nothing. I go home to an empty one-bedroom apartment and I'm all alone."

"Nothing I'm going to say is going to make you feel any better," Daniel said. "And neither is that drink. I'm sorry that Regina has moved on. I'm sorry you didn't get a second chance with her. But right now what you need to do is let me take you home."

He took the bottle and slid it away from her and then helped her down from the barstool and out the door.

…

Regina was working on her own work – part of the prep work for Savannah – while she sat at her father's desk in the mayor's office. It was Monday afternoon and she decided that she needed to spend time on her real work. Her father was feeling better and she hoped that maybe he would be ready to ease himself back into work beginning next week.

About five minutes ago she had gotten a strange feeling – a feeling that she didn't want to go to Savannah. It hit her out of nowhere as she was working. She shook it off and went back to her research. She found it hard to concentrate though.

It was 15 minutes later when the secretary buzzed the intercom.

"Mayor Mills there is a Neal Cassady here to see you."

Smiling, she told her to send him in. Getting up she gave him a huge hug when he was inside.

"You said you couldn't take time off to come?"

"I quit my job."

"What? Please tell me you are joking."

"I'm not. You needed me here so I came here."

"I didn't intend for you to quit your job."

"I know," he said. "But the truth was I've been thinking about doing it for a while now."

"You have? Why didn't you tell me?"

"The reason I was thinking of quitting was because of Savannah. I mean I can't have my best friend living down south without me there to keep her on the straight and narrow."

Regina hugged him again. "You really want to come to Savannah with me?"

"I wouldn't go for anyone else," Neal said. "We can talk about that later though. You wouldn't have asked me to come here if you weren't desperate so let's figure out how to solve your lingering issues here. By the way, this isn't really an easy town to find. One road in and it wasn't even on Google maps."

"I know," Regina said. "I think the residents here probably prefer it that way. Outside of delivery drivers who never stick around we don't get many visitors here."

"I hope there is someplace I can stay while here."

"You can stay at my parents."

"I appreciate that, but maybe you can point out the nearest motel instead. I don't think I should be staying with you, especially while your father thinks we are more than friends. Plus given how you've described the small-town gossip I wouldn't want it getting back to Emma either. Have you spoken to her since Saturday?"

Regina shook her head no and they ended up taking seats before speaking again.

"You can't let her believe you and I are in a relationship anymore than you can let your father believe it, you know that right?"

"I do," she said. "You should have seen the look on her face. It was like her heart was breaking in front of me. I never wanted that."

"Alright, well I'm here now and we'll fix it," he said, gently elbowing her and giving her the smile she had missed.


	25. Chapter 25

Neal had been in town for two days – two days of pure nervousness on Regina's part for what was about to happen. While she loved that her best friend was there to give her emotional support, confessing the truth of her relationship to her father (and ultimately to Emma) had her on edge.

He had tried to convince her that it wasn't a big deal, that they would sit down with her parents and explain that their relationship was strictly a friendship.

And it wasn't as if Regina thought it would affect her father's recovery at this point, but the truth was she didn't want to disappoint him either.

Despite any friction she had with her parents, she didn't like the idea of them thinking badly of her.

It didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well. The last two nights she had weird dreams about being in a castle and one where Emma was sitting on a throne.

When she got off work she swung by Granny's to pick up Neal. One day in town and his car, which wasn't the greatest anyway, decided to break down and was currently at the shop.

"Meet the parents night," Neal said getting in the car. He at least was enthused where as Regina felt like her stomach was slowly being eaten away by acid.

"Or judgment night depending on how you want to look at it," Regina responded as she started to drive.

"Your father isn't going to love you any less because you told a white lie," Neal said.

"Speaking of lies, can we not tell them how we actually met," Regina said.

"That's the best part of the story," he said. "So no. Besides replacing one lie with another isn't going to help matters. I'm not looking to hide who I am. I've made mistakes and they can either accept that or not. Besides getting into your car that day even if I was going to steal it was not something I consider a mistake."

She gave him a smile, thinking how improbable it was that they had become so close after the way they met.

The drive to her parents didn't take long and soon they were entering the house where her father shook Neal's hand and her mother gave him a hug. Even though her mother knew the truth, Regina had taken time the day before to speak with her again about Neal. She wanted to make it clear that while there was no romantic entanglement between them Neal was the most important in her life outside of her parents.

They sat down at the dinner table and within minutes Neal was nudging her to get on with it.

"Um there is something I need to tell you," Regina said, facing her father.

"What is it honey?"

"It's about Neal and I. I know I told you that he and I live together and that he's special to me," Regina said, glancing quickly at Neal who gave her a smile back. "It's just that when you were in the hospital, you looked sad thinking that I had no one in my life so I told you about Neal. And I realized even as I told you about him that I making you thinking that Neal and I were a couple, but we're not. He's my best friend and that is all. I'm sorry for lying to you. I just wanted you to be happy."

Henry reached over and grasped her hand.

"And that is all I want for you, for you to be happy," he said. "I'm still glad that you have Neal in your life, even if it is just as a friend."

"Well I'm glad that is in the open," Neal said. "Now let me tell you how we really met."

Regina drove Neal back to Granny's where he had rented a room.

"So that wasn't so bad," Neal said, noticing how quiet Regina had gotten since they left her parents. He had seen that expression on her face many times. She made it when she was deep in thought – usually about something she didn't want to be thinking about. The fact she didn't respond to him told him she was miles away in her mind at least.

He let her stay that way until they reached their destination.

"What's wrong?" he asked after she parked the car.

"Nothing,"

"I know you better than that and you have always been a horrible liar despite my best efforts in trying to tutor you in the finer arts of deception."

That at least earned him a little smile.

"Let me guess," he said. "Emma."

"I'm that transparent am I?"

"No, but now that your father knows the truth, it's time Emma does."

"I know."

"You know you have to do it, so why the dread face? Do you want me to go with you when you do it?"

"No," she said immediately. "I need to do this on my own. I need to talk to her and not just about you."

"What else do you want to talk to her about?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Maybe I'm just being stupid to think that anything could really be different."

"Oh God," Neal said. "You are still in love with her, aren't you?"

"No … I can't be. That's ridiculous," she said, even if it lacked sincerity. "I think she and I finally need to make a clean break, get closure that I think both of us need."

"There is nothing wrong with still being in love with her you know?" he said. "Crazier things have happened. You once told me that you and Emma pledged that neither of you would ever love another. As far as I can tell you have held up your end of the bargain. Where I come from they say true love is the strongest magic of all."

"They say that in Tallahassee do they?' she said.

"Well maybe a little outside of Tallahassee," he said. "Come on, give me a hug before I turn in for the night. We can do breakfast in the morning before you go all mayor on me."

She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over and gave him a hug. When he exited the car, he came around to her side and motioned for her to roll down her window.

"Before you talk to her just promise me you will really think about if closure is what you want or if it is something else you are looking for," he said.

Regina sat across from Neal having some breakfast before going into the office, although her food mostly sat untouched in front of her as she sipped her coffee.

"You keep looking at the door," Neal commented. "Are you expecting her to come in this morning?"

Regina shrugged, a move that Neal always thought looked odd when she did it. Regina wasn't the kind of person who shrugged. To shrug meant a person was unsure and that didn't describe Regina.

He remembered when they first met, even as flustered as she had gotten, there was still that strength in her. Frankly he was surprised when she had decided to let him go instead of driving him to the police station.

Telling her parents that story wasn't quite as funny as he thought it would be. In fact Regina did look a little mortified that he had actually told them the truth. Still, her parents were gracious with him all night and the fact Regina was there with him this morning meant they hadn't warned her to stay away from him.

He wasn't quite sure he could put into words why he thought he and Regina matched so well. They were completely different in almost every way imaginable but they found a way to make it work for them and that is all that mattered.

When the Philadelphia project was ending Neal had begun to get nervous as Regina began to plan her next job. When she decided on Savannah he hadn't immediately thought about going with her. He had been bouncing around from place to place his entire life and being there in Philly had finally felt like home for him.

It took Regina coming here to her hometown that made Neal realize it wasn't Philadelphia that made him feel like home, it was Regina. Once he came to that realization he knew he would going with her down south.

The way her face had lit up when he told her was all the proof he needed to know he made the right decision.

He loved Regina.

Not in the romantic sense. No, she made her sexuality clear with him from the beginning so he never thought of her in that other way. He couldn't say what he felt for her was like a sister either.

But he hadn't had someone in his life that he was close to in such a long time.

Still that came with more than a little measure of guilt because he was lying to her.

There were times he had thought of telling her the truth, but knew he couldn't. As much as she loved him, she would think he was insane.

Regina was just too logical of a person to ever believe the truth of where he came from.

She thought he was from Tallahassee and she had even mentioned that first day he was in town after he told her he would go to Savannah with her that it would be nice for them to go to Tallahassee so he could show her his hometown. It's not like he hadn't been to Tallahassee before but to pull off a hometown visit would require a lot more research on his part.

At least he had chosen a city to say he was from. He would never be able to pull off something like that in a small town like Storybrooke where every one knew everyone.

This was an odd little town too. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about it that was just off.

The door to the diner opened again and Regina's eyes went in that direction. By the disappointed expression on her face he didn't even need to turn around to see that it wasn't Emma.

Actually he was hoping this Emma would stop by. He would like to finally see the woman who had been Regina's first love. He had seen a picture of her once in Regina's possessions. It was a photo of the two of them when they were seniors in high school and Neal had to admit that it may have been the happiest he had ever seen his friend. Too bad that happiness was frozen in time in a photo that Regina didn't want to look at or think about.

She hadn't been given much choice but to think about it now that she was home. He had told her that she should try and resolve things here yet he wasn't expecting that what needed resolved was the fact that she clearly had lingering feelings for Emma.

If Regina could find happiness like what was in that photo Neal would be in full support of it. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

"So if she doesn't come in for coffee or whatever this morning, what's your plan?" Neal said.

"It will have to wait until later. I have to get into work."

"Ok, but whether it's now or later what are you going to say to her?"

"I'm going to explain that you are my friend."

"And?"

"And what?"

Neal detected the tone in Regina's voice that usually meant she was ready to shut down a discussion because she didn't want to talk about it.

"All I'm saying is that if you still have feelings for her then you owe it to yourself to figure that out. This could be one of those go get the girl moments. You do understand that this could be a last chance for you two to …"

"To what? My life is outside of this town. I'm getting ready to move with you to Savannah. Even if I thought …," she trailed off as the diner door opened again and then she turned her attention back to Neal. "Her life is here, mine isn't."

"Fair enough," he said, deciding pushing her right now probably wasn't the best move. She had been increasingly tense and each time the door opened and it wasn't Emma he could see it bothered her. He also didn't think she was prepared for if Emma did indeed walk through that door.

"What are you going to do with your day?" she asked.

"I don't know, check out the rest of the town. Maybe work on my music. Don't worry I will find something to occupy my time."

"I'm going up to the counter and pay for this and then I really need to get into work," she said getting up. He slid her plate of barely eaten food over, figuring there was no reason it should go to waste.

He had just taken a bite when he heard a voice greeting Regina as "Mayor Mills," and he immediately turned.

He watched as the older man spoke to her but quickly turned back to his plate when Regina was heading back over. It wasn't possible, he thought.

"Call me if you get too bored checking out the town," Regina said to him.

"Hey, who was that man you were talking to just now?" he asked after quickly looking to see the guy was leaving.

"Oh, that is Mr. Gold. He owns the local pawn shop and he is president of city council. He's the one I told you about who had suggested I take over the mayor's duties. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," he said. "Just curious about who is who in this town."

"Stick around this diner long enough and you will probably get to see everyone in this town sooner or later," she said. "Now I really have to go."

"Bye," he said.

The moment she was gone he slid the plate back away from him. He had suddenly lost his appetite.

There was no way the person he had just seen could be the person he thought it was. It wasn't possible he told himself. Yet, he had heard the voice and seen the man and there was no mistaking it – this Mr. Gold was the very image of his father.

Regina had said he owned the pawn shop. Now Neal needed to decide if he should check that place out or stay out of sight until he could get out of this town with Regina.


	26. Chapter 26

Regina was busy working when her father's secretary buzzed her to let her know Daniel was there to see her. She paused before telling her to let him in.

Daniel was Emma's cousin and married to Emma's best friend. While she had always gotten along with him, she doubted his unannounced visit was anything good.

She didn't bother getting up as he entered, already feeling like she was on edge.

"What, I don't get a hug? Has it been so long that I don't merit a friendly greeting?"

She smiled as she got up, feeling a little more at ease. Daniel always had the ability to make her lighter. She gave him a hug and they took seats on the chairs in front of her desk.

"What brings you in for a visit?"

"Emma."

Suddenly the uneasiness was back.

"You could have been upfront with her."

"Daniel, this isn't a conversation we should be having."

"No, it probably isn't, but I love Emma. Even if she wasn't my cousin I would be her friend. And when I see a friend suffering I can't just sit still. When you and Emma broke up right before prom and you were the one crying with your head in my lap, I was there for you. The other night I had to be there for Emma when I found her drinking her sorrows away at a bar because her heart had been broken. You should have told her that you were involved with this Neal guy."

"Look, I need to talk to Emma about this. I do owe her an explanation, but it's not the explanation you think."

"What does that mean?"

Licking her lips, Regina considered what she should say. "I need to talk to Emma," she said. "She deserves to hear what I have to say from me and not second hand. I was waiting for her at Granny's this morning hoping she would come in so I could speak to her, but she didn't."

"If speaking to her is only going to hurt her more, then maybe you should reconsider what you are going to say to her. She doesn't need a rundown of your relationship with Neal and where it is headed. Perhaps you should apologize to her and leave it at that. We all know that you have no plans of sticking around town, so as your friend I'm asking you not to do anything more that could hurt her."

"I have no intention of hurting her, just as I didn't mean to hurt her in revealing Neal," Regina said. "And that's on me. I have to take responsibility for my actions and see if she can forgive me."

"What she needs to know is if you can forgive her."

Regina turned away from him a moment, but was brought back around by him touching her hand.

"It's been so long, surely you don't want to hold onto this anger over the mistake she made for the rest of your life."

"I really thought she and I were going to be together forever," Regina said. "You know when your young you think about such things when you meet your first love. It all seems like it will be perfect."

"It wasn't going to be perfect," Daniel said. "You know this. Especially when you left you knew it wouldn't be."

"So what, we're back to this being my fault because I chose to go to college."  
"No," he said quickly. "You made your own choice, she made her own choice. I'm just saying that what did you really think was going to happen when you left to go to college?"

"I thought she would follow me there," Regina said. "I thought that she loved me enough to come after me."

"You thought that but you didn't love her enough to stay for her?"

"I almost did," Regina said. "When I came back that first summer after my freshman year, I had decided I had missed her so much that I didn't think I could go back to Michigan State without her. And if she still said no, then I … I was going to stay."

"You were?"

"Yes I was. I was in love and the idea of not being close to her anymore was unfathomable to me," she said. "And then Killian happened."

Daniel's hand slipped from her arm as he considered this new information.

"I do need to speak to her," Regina said after several heartbeats of silence. "Sooner rather than later. Do you know where I could find her later?"

"I have a pretty good idea, yeah," he said.

….

Neal rubbed his eyes, knowing he couldn't keep this up much longer. After leaving the diner that morning he had scoped out the pawn shop but hadn't entered it. Instead he went to the public library and that is where he had been for the past couple of hours, parked in front of the microfilm machine doing research.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can do to help you find whatever it is that you are looking for?" said the librarian Belle who had set him up on the machine. He had been going through old newspapers on microfilm. It was called the Mirror which he thought was an odd name for a paper.

"I'm not really looking for anything," he said, giving her a smile. She was cute. "I do have a question however. Why do the papers only go back 15 years?"

"Oh, there was a big fire here about 17 years ago. The paper's office went up in flames and the archive went with it because the family that owned it never got around to digitizing it."

"So have you lived here all my life?"

"I have," she said.

"Then you could probably tell me if there is a pawn shop around here. I always like to check them to see what kind of guitars they might have."

"You are a musician?"

"I am," he replied. "Obviously not a famous one, but I do ok."

"They do an open mike night at the Rabbit Hole on Wednesdays. Perhaps if you and Regina are still here next week you would consider playing a few songs."

"You know I am here with Regina?"

"I think the whole town knows," she said. "Small town and all."

"Yes, Regina did warn me."

"How is she anyways?"

"Do you know her? I mean beyond the whole small town thing?"

"Yes," Belle smiled. "She and I used to be quite good friends."

"I heard a past tense there."

"Well she hasn't been around much since she left for college. It's kind of hard to maintain a friendship when the other person is far away all the time," Belle said. "But you don't really want to hear about that. Let me give you directions to the pawn shop."

He wrote done the directions even though he already knew where it was at.

"The owner, is he a good guy, you know fair in his deals?"

"Mr. Gold is … well not everyone knows how to take him, but he has always been good with me."

"That's good to know," he said. "Thanks for your assistance Belle."

"You are welcome."

…

Neal stood across the street from the pawn shop still debating what to do. His mind kept telling him that it was impossible, that there was no way that was his father in there.

Yet he also knew that magic could do some wondrous things and back home his father was perhaps the most powerful magical being.

After his stop at the library, he began to really think about this town and how odd it was. In most of his time in this world he had stuck to the cities where it was easier to blend in, so his experience with small towns was limited. Still there was something off about this place he had determined. He thought about Regina and how she felt about this place.

Then there was the whole getting here, which had been a pain in the ass as his GPS stopped working and he barely found the turn off to get to the one road into town.

Still the idea that his father may be in there seemed ludicrous. But he knew he had to find out.

He had spoken to Regina a little while ago, begging off dinner by telling her he had a bit of headache and wanted to go lay down. She bought the lie, just has she had others he had told her. He hated lying to her but he was afraid the truth would tear their relationship apart.

He asked her again what she was going to do about Emma after she told him about her visit with Daniel.  
"I'm going to go find her," Regina said.

"And?"

"And I'm going to explain about you and apologize."

"And?" he said, smiling as he could practically see Regina bite her bottom lip before responding.

"And we'll see where things go from there."

He laughed but it was one of happiness as he thought about Regina finally putting this situation with Emma behind her and perhaps finding a way forward with her.

"Tell Emma I said hi and I'm looking forward to meeting her," Neal said. "Now go get your girl."

He hung up the phone and looked once more at the shop across the street. Perhaps Regina wasn't the only one that needed to put the past behind him. He walked up to the shop door, paused only a moment before going inside. Mr. Gold looked up from the counter where he was doing some paperwork as Neal came closer. His heart rate increased with each step closer to that counter. His mind was screaming that it wasn't possible.

He stopped as he reached the counter and stood there not saying anything as Mr. Gold also stared back at him.

"Bae?" Gold finally said.

Neal breathed out. "Father."

Gold smiled and came limping around the counter and made as if to hug Neal but Neal backed up a step. "How is it possible that you are here?" Neal asked.

"I'm here because you are here."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means when I lost you I immediately started to find you once again," he replied.

"If you are here to find me what are you doing living in some small town in Maine?"

"That is a long story," he said. "Come, I have space in the back where we can sit and talk. I'll lock up the shop and you can tell me how you've been."  
"How I've been? Are you serious?" Neal said. "I don't even … are you still the Dark One?'

"Bae …"

"It's Neal. I go by Neal."

Gold smiled, "Regina's Neal. I should have guessed when I heard there was a man who followed her here. But since she was still planning on going to Georgia, I assumed Neal was just someone she met out in the world. That girl did not let me down."

Neal grabbed Gold by his shirt. "What does that mean?"

"Regina. I sent her out there to find you and bring you here."

Neal released him and backed up. Did Regina know who he was? Had she brought him here? No, he thought, he had broken into her car to steal it. He had come here on his own.

"Magic," Neal said finally. "You used magic on her."

"Technically, she used it on herself. It was the only way to find you Bae … Neal."

"You are going to tell me exactly what is happening here."

Gold ended up getting Neal to agree to come in the back and sitting down with him. The story was long in coming out and Neal was on his feet for at least half of it as his father told him about how he got Regina to cast the curse to bring them here.

"You used her," Neal said. "You used Regina. You brought all of these people here against their wills all for your own selfish reasons."

"My selfish reason was to see my son again."

"You could have been with me all along if you had come up with me like I asked you to," Neal said. "But no, you chose your magic over your son."

"I was wrong. I was scared," Gold said. "But I swear to you ever since you left I have been trying to find you. Everything I have done has been geared toward finding you."

"Yes but look what you have done to do it."

"I'm not going to apologize for doing what I had to do."

Neal shook his head, "Well at least you are no longer the Dark One. After all, you can't leave this town and there is no magic here."

Neal caught a slight downturn in his father's eyes. "What? What aren't you telling me?"

This time Gold stood up. "It was a curse that brought us here. Curses can be broken and this one was meant to be broken. When it does, it will bring magic into this town and with it we can return home."

"How does the curse get broken?"

Gold didn't say anything.

"How does it get broken?" Neal said more forcibly. "You tell me now or I swear, I'm getting Regina and she and I are going to leave and you will never see me again."

"True love's kiss. It's the only thing that can break it. And now that she has found you, she will no longer have the desire she once did to leave this town. I did after all make a deal with Emma that I would help her and Regina go some place where they could be together and I always keep up my end of a bargain."

"Regina and Emma," Neal said. "You are still using people, still manipulating them. You haven't changed at all. I'm not going to let you do this. I'm not going to let you use Regina like this."

"Are you in love with her?"

Neal looked at his father, seeing the same man who he had become afraid of all those years ago when he turned into the Dark One. He thought about going through that portal, ending up in this strange world all alone because his father was a coward.

Now he needed to act quickly before his father again regained his magic.

"Yes," he said. "And I will be damned if I'm going to let her kiss Emma."

Without another word, he stormed out even as his father called after him. Once outside he took out his phone. He needed to stop Regina from talking with Emma.


	27. Chapter 27

When Daniel had told her the place to find Emma would most likely be at the town line, she had immediately been confused as to why she would be out there. But she trusted Daniel that if he said she was often out there that it would be the place to check if she wasn't home.

Regina pulled her car up behind the cruiser and shut it off. She took a deep breath before exiting and tapping on the passenger side window, her hand on the handle as she waited for it to be unlocked. Emma never even looked over at her as she unlocked the door or when Regina slid into the passenger seat.

They sat there, neither woman saying a word for several heartbeats.

"I owe you an apology," Regina said. Still Emma kept her eyes straight ahead. "Will you at least look at me?"

Emma turned finally.  
"If you came to apologize for not telling me you were involved with someone before you and I went out, you don't have to," Emma said before she could speak. "It wasn't like you and I were on a date."

"But you wanted us to be on a date."

"Well we don't always get what we want do we?" Emma said bitterly.

"No we don't," Regina said. This time it was her who looked away. Her eyes went to the Leaving Storybrooke sign. For the most part that sign had given her comfort as she crossed the town line after one of her now-infrequent trips home. But she remembered another time that seeing that sign had hurt.

It was the night she left Storybrooke after finding out about Emma and Killian. She had left in the middle of the night – not able to handle one more day in this town where her heart had been broken. Yet, she had stopped just on the other side of the road from where she and Emma now sat. Her car was parked in front of that sign and she was crying, leaning over the steering wheel as the pain of Emma's betrayal became too much for her.

Still, in that moment she had hesitated. She almost turned the car around and went back into town to do the one thing Emma had asked of her – to hear her out.

It would be their only chance to maybe try and salvage things between them.

But like a coward she started her car and crossed that town line.

"I've always been in awe of you," Regina said. "Everything seemed to come so easy for you. You had this effortless, carefree nature that was so unlike me. I worried about everything and if I didn't know the outcome in advance, I got scared. You scared me. When we had that first talk after that soccer game, you scared me because I didn't know what to expect to from you. You completely blindsided me, disarmed me."

"The first really brave thing I ever thought I did was leaving here," Regina said. "Making the decision to live a life outside of this town. I found my escape in that world beyond that town line and I can't say I regret that I chose to leave – not entirely at least. My life out there, it's good. What I do for a living, I'm good at it. But it took meeting Neal for me to see I had thrown myself into my work and neglected living my life. He seems to play by his own set of rules and it works for him."

Emma had turned and was now looking out her own window as Regina spoke.

"Neal is important to me because he is my best friend. And that is why I need to apologize to you. I love Neal, but friends is all he and I will ever be. I should have made that clear to you before you walked away. I should have stopped you and explained to you that while I consider him more than a roommate he and I will only be just friends. You of all people should know I have no interest in men that other way," she said. "I'm sorry for not clearing that up immediately."

Emma had looked back at her when she had said they were just friends, but she didn't say anything at first as Regina finished, merely looked away again.  
"Do you hate me that much?" Emma asked. "Is that why you let me believe you and Neal were together?"

"I don't hate you," Regina said. "God knows I've tried to hate you, but I can't. I can't because you are Emma. You are my first love, and if I'm being honest, the only person I have ever loved like that. In a way, I'm still afraid of you and how you make me feel. I just … I don't understand how we lost it, lost us."

Again Emma was silent and this time it kept dragging on to the point where Regina thought perhaps she should say her goodbye and leave.

"I started coming out here the day after you left to go to college," Emma said finally. "I'd park the bug right here and I would stare at that road, at that sign, at everything that pointed in the direction of you. I'd come out here almost every day and every day I'd say to myself, this is the day, this is the day you drive across that line and you go get your girl. I knew if I could just get past that line I would find you and everything after that wouldn't matter because we'd be together."

A tear came down Emma's face and Regina almost reached out to her to comfort her, but she was mesmerized by the idea that Emma had made this a ritual.

"I tried, I really tried," Emma said, more tears coming down. "I wanted to be with you so much but I couldn't fucking cross that line."

She sniffed loudly and wiped at the tears. "Then one night I was out here and I brought a bottle of whiskey with me, thinking I don't know, that I'd somehow get the courage to go. I remember getting out of my car, and I walked right up to that sign, and I couldn't even step across that line."

"Then um, I finally returned to town and got even more wasted. Then Killian showed up and that was the night that he and I … and I should have told you immediately and begged for your forgiveness but I didn't. I hid it because I was ashamed that I could do that to you even if I was drunk. And I was so afraid that you would leave me and you did and it's all my fault. It was my fault for not leaving this town and coming to find you."

Emma was full on crying now and Regina watched her unsure what to do. She felt that fear creeping back in.

Hurrying to get out of the car, she shut the door behind her and took a deep breath before moving around to the driver's side and pulling that door open, startling Emma. She held out her hand and Emma paused before taking it.

Keeping a hold of Emma's hand, Regina led her over to the town line.

She let go of Emma's hand and stepped across the line, again feeling that odd sensation like a cold wind was blowing.

Then she held out her hand to Emma.

"You don't have to be afraid," Regina said.

Emma looked at Regina and then down at the town line. She inched her foot forward but that is as far as it went.

"I can't," she said.

"Why not?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "I don't understand. I want to. All I want is to be there with you, but I can't." She put her head down, unable to look at Regina with her failure.

Regina was confused. This didn't make any sense. Why wouldn't Emma just come across the line?

"Ok," Regina said, stepping back across the line. She put her hand on Emma's arm. "We're going to figure this out." She forced Emma to look at her. "I promise."

Emma hugged her and Regina felt their bodies connect in a way she never had with anyone else. They had always fit together.

"I'm sorry," Emma said quietly. "I'm sorry for failing to keep my promise."

Regina pulled away from her. "What are you talking about?"

"We promised that it would always just be you and me. I failed you."

"No," Regina said. "You didn't. You made a mistake. And I did too. We were still kids Emma. Yes we were legally adults, but we were still so young. I shouldn't have run away like I did. I owed you the chance to talk about what had happened and instead I chose to leave without even a goodbye. If you failed then so did I."

They were still standing close to each other. Regina's eyes went to Emma's lips. The memory of what it was like to kiss those lips had her taking a half step closer. Emma too seemed to feel an invisible pull toward Regina and she closed more of the distance, their lips only an inch apart.


	28. Chapter 28

Regina was the first to move back once she realized how close she was standing to Emma and what she had been about to do. For a brief moment there she had thought about all the strife and the drama that existed between her and Emma and still she had almost kissed her.

"We should probably return to town," Regina said.

"Yeah," Emma said, glancing over the town line. "We probably should."

They started to walk back to their cars, neither woman saying anything, but both keep pace with the other as they proceeded side by side. Emma's vehicle was first and she stopped at the hood, which prompted Regina to also stop.

"Thank you," Emma said. "For that back there. For coming here. You didn't have to, so thank you."

"I did have to," Regina said. "I should never have let you leave the other day without explaining who Neal was."

"Why didn't you?"

This time it was Regina who was glancing over at the town line.  
"I don't know," she said. "Maybe I thought it would be easier for me if you believed that because if you did then you would avoid me and I wouldn't have to deal with this, with us."

"Is that why you never come home?"

Regina moved so she was leaning against the car and Emma did the same.

"Yes," Regina said. "And no. You know I've been restless about this place for years. I never felt like it was the right place for me to be. I always felt this pull to be out there somewhere in the world. But even out there, no place has ever felt like home. Philly has been the closest thing to it and a lot of that has to do with Neal. In a way, he reminds me of you."

"How so?"

"He's just fearless. He just lives life and he's always at ease with himself and who he is."

"That is like the complete opposite of me," Emma said, earning her a look from Regina. "Come on, how long have I let me mom dictate things in my life? If I was fearless, I would have been able to walk over that town line, I would have come after you all those years ago, like I knew I should have."

"Is it fear? Is that what you feel when you get close to the town line?"

Emma shrugged. "It's hard to explain. I really don't know why I can't just leave. I get this feeling the closer I get to it that I can't do it, that I'm not supposed to do it, like there is some cosmic force telling me that here is where I have to say," she said. "It sounds stupid I know and you probably think I'm crazy or making excuses …"  
"No, I don't think that," Regina interrupted. She had seen Emma out there frozen in place. She didn't understand it, but she knew Emma was telling the truth when she said she couldn't cross the line. "I do think we really should leave here, I mean, go back to town."

Emma nodded. "Have you eaten yet?"

"No."

"We could go to Granny's, get something to eat," she suggested.

"Now you are just pressing your luck Miss Swan."

Emma groaned. "Can you not call me that?"

"Ok, Emma," Regina said.

"So, about that dinner?" Emma said hopefully.

Regina paused, she still wasn't sure about any of this. "Ok," she said and Emma's face lit up.

…

At Granny's neither woman said much as they ordered their food.

"We need to talk about what happened out there," Regina said.

"I know," Emma said. "Again, I'm sorry. I don't know why that happens, why I can't just leave."

"Maybe you don't really want to leave," Regina commented, keeping her eyes on the placemat in front of her.

"That's not it," Emma said quickly. "I swear. I keep thinking over and over how things could have been different between us if I had just gone with you to Michigan State. I would have a completely different life. And I would hope that life would be with you."

She paused and then said, "I still want that."

Regina's breath hitched and she looked up at Emma. "I think we have a lot to talk about before we …"

"Yeah, I know," Emma interrupted. "It's just that I thought I should put that out there upfront. It's always been you Regina, and it always will be for me."

Regina didn't know what to say. It had always been Emma for her. She had never wanted anyone like she wanted Emma, but she was afraid too. It hadn't worked out before and now here they were years apart and she at least wasn't the same person she once was. Yet there was Emma sitting in front of her like nothing had changed.

"I don't even know where to begin to talk about things," Regina said. "But I guess the one thing I would say that you need to understand is that my life is out there past that town line. I am going to have to leave again once my father is ok. I'm supposed to be moving to Savannah to start a job a down there."

"Well, I can be a police officer anywhere," Emma said.

Regina could scarcely believe that Emma could still act exude any optimism, but that is how she was. Even when Emma's mother had forbidden their relationship, Emma was always optimistic that it was something they could get through.

She was about to say something that even her mind hadn't decided what it would be yet, when someone said her name. She turned and saw Neal approaching them.

"Don't get up," he said to her. "Just slide over. Hi, you must be Emma." He shook Emma's hand and Regina noticed a slight hesitancy on Emma's part before she shook Neal's hand.

Regina had slid over and Neal sat beside her, she immediately saw that Neal appeared to be nervous. Could he be nervous about meeting Emma, she wondered.

"I take it that you two have cleared things up about me," Neal said looking at Regina who nodded to him. "Good. I'm sure we will get along great. Has Regina told you how we met?"

Dinner came and Neal also ordered something and he dominated most of the conversation, telling Emma about how they met, and then asking her about herself.

Regina and Emma hadn't gotten the chance to say much to each other once the meal was done and Regina announced that she needed to get back home.

"I will walk you to your car," Neal said.

"Good night Emma," Regina said as she got out of the booth.

"Yeah, good night."

"We will talk later," Regina said. "I promise."

She turned and left with Neal right on her heels. When she got to her car, Neal lingered by her door. Again, she seemed nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, a little too quickly for her taste.

"Then why are you nervous?"

"I'm not nervous."

She gave him a look to say that she didn't believe him.

"Look, I just …I guess I'm a little anxious. Small towns really aren't for me. I just can't wait until we get back to Philly and then head down to Savannah."

"What happened to I should take my time here?"

"I'm not saying we leave tonight or anything," he said. "So, what happened with you and Emma?"

"We talked a little bit," Regina said. "But there is still a lot for us to talk about. You sort of interrupted."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Neal said. "My bad."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "She and I will clear things up before I go."

She paused. "She still wants to be with me."

"Is that what you want?"

"I don't know. I don't really know how any of this is supposed to work," Regina said. "This isn't how I thought things would be when I came back here. I never imagined that she and I would ever be together again, but … I see her and I … God, how is it possible that I still love her?"

"You can't control who you have feelings for," Neal said.

"I suppose you are right," she said. "I really do need to get home. I will talk with you tomorrow."

"Good night," he said.

Once Regina drove off, Neal went back into the diner and saw that Emma was still sitting there so he took the seat across from her. Neither said anything at first.

Neal had wondered about Emma long before he came to Storybooke, long before he knew that this town was nothing but a curse. Regina loved her – still loved her apparently – and Neal had wondered what it was about this woman that made Regina unable to move on from her.

Now that he knew that this was Regina's true love it made more sense.

He was still reeling from the idea that all of these people were from the world he grew up in. Here was the princess of the realm, nothing more than a sheriff's deputy.

"Do you love her?" Emma asked.

If he was surprised by the question, he didn't show it.

"I do, but not in the way you love her," Neal responded. "She is just my friend."

"That is what she said."

"And you don't believe her?"

"No, I believe her. I just needed to know from your end if it was just friendship," Emma said. "You are clearly important to her and I don't want to mess with that."

"I appreciate that," Neal said, still studying her. "I hope we can be friends too."

"Yeah," she said, standing up. "I hope we can too because you are important to her and she's important to me. Good night Neal."

"Good night Emma."

After she left, Neal continued to sit there. Shit, he thought, what was he going to do here. He couldn't let Regina and Emma kiss and break this kiss because it would give his father his magic about. But at the same time, how could he keep Regina from her true happiness? He loved her because she was the first person in a long time that understood him. He had been alone for so long and then along came Regina.

That night he tried to steal her car, when she had pulled over and let him go, when she pulled away, he thought she was one of the most uptight people he had ever met. He had walked home to the small apartment he had been renting, thinking that there was a woman who needed to get laid.

He couldn't even explain why he went back the next day, only that he felt bad for her. Here was a woman who needed to learn to relax, so he showed up at her car and somehow he managed to charm her.

She had made it clear that she wasn't into his anatomy at all. And he was good with that because he wasn't interested in her in that way and never had been.

They fit together in a weird way. She would come home from long hours at work and he would have dinner for her before he would leave to go play at one of the clubs where he was a regular.

One thing she had laid down the law on when they moved in together that he couldn't do anymore stealing. He had to go straight and she wasn't going to compromise on that.

In a way, she had saved him.

He had hit rock bottom before meeting her. This had not been the life he had envisioned when he made the decision all those years ago that in order to save his father he needed to get him away from magic. When he had gone through the portal and his father hadn't, he had felt lost.

That wasn't how it was supposed to be.

Now all these years later, his father was in this world with a plot to get his magic back.

A plot that Neal now needed to find a way to stop it without Regina getting hurt.

…

When Regina got home, there were no lights in the front of the house that she could see from the outside. It was still early that her parents should be up. As she stepped inside, she saw a light from the far hall and she walked down to where her father's home office was, surprised to find her mom in there.

"Mom?" she said.

Her mother who was sitting on the small couch that was in there, looked up at her.

"You're home late."

"Not so late, is something wrong? Is dad ok?"

"He's fine. He just got a little tired – a lot tired earlier and went to bed," Cora said. "He's so eager to prove that he can get back to work and be mayor and … well he's not ready yet."

"Ok," Regina said. "We'll just have to make sure he knows there is no need to hurry back. We'll make sure he rests like the doctor said he should."

"That could take a while," Cora said.

"Ok."

"Ok?" Cora said. "And what brings on this change of heart?"

"What do you mean? I came here to make sure father was ok. I'm not leaving until he is."

"What about your job, your life out there?"

"It can wait."

Cora stood up and setting aside the book she had sitting in her lap when Regina first walked in. She walked up to Regina, studying her. "Why are you getting home so late?"

Regina took a step back from her, "I just worked late. You know how it is."

Cora smiled at you, "You still haven't learned to lie to your mother. So, where were you Regina?"

"I … I was with Emma."

"Well, some things haven't changed," Cora said. "Come, sit. Tell me what brought this on?"

She led Regina back over to the couch, where they took a seat.

"How did you end up spending time with Emma this evening?"

"I needed to talk to her about … Neal," Regina said. She ended up telling her mom about she had gotten together with Emma a few days ago and the impression she had left her with. She told her how she had tracked Emma down at the town line and how Emma had apparently made a ritual out of going out there ever since the day Regina had left for Michigan State.

"I don't know, I just spent so much time hating what happened between us and now, now, I don't know what any of this really means," Regina said. "She still wants to be with me."

"What do you want?"

But Regina didn't know how to answer that question. Did she want to be with Emma again?

"What do you think I should do?" she asked Cora. She couldn't remember the last time she had asked her mother for advice.

"Honey, you need to do what is right for you," Cora responded. "No one but you knows where your happiness lies."

"Do you think it's possible that she and I could …" she didn't finish the thought, not even sure what she was going to ask exactly.

Still, her mom answered. "When two people are truly in love, anything is possible."


	29. Chapter 29

Regina wondered how her dad did it – managed to run this town with such ease. Having worked with city administrations before – in big cities – she knew that bureaucracy could make things slow down considerably. She was used to that as most of the projects she worked on were mired down in all kinds of zoning issues.

But until she took this interim position, she didn’t realize that in small towns at least, everyone thought the mayor could solve all problems.

 

She had more respect now for him than ever before.

 

Part of the problem was that as she tried to concentrate on each issue before her, her mind kept straying to Emma. Last night, her mom had asked her if she wanted to be with Emma again and she hadn’t had an answer, and she still didn’t have one.

It didn’t help that she had another strange dream last night. This one again featured Emma. This time the two of them had been in a small clearing in some woods. They had been fighting and then suddenly the dream turned rather explicit.

She woke with the feeling that the dream was more like a memory, but she knew that was impossible.  

All of this was beginning to feel so surreal to her. The whole her coming back here, Neal coming here and Emma. If her father hadn’t had his heart attack, she would still be in Philly, still contemplating whether to stay there and just fly down to Savannah as needed or moving down there like she had originally planned.

But not those thoughts weren’t what kept coming into her mind. Now it was, what did the future hold for her and Emma. Was it possible that they could reconcile and move past their past to come together once more.

And what did it mean if they did?

Shaking her head, trying to drive the thoughts from her head, she turned her attention back to her work.

But it wasn’t long before the intercom went off. “Mr. Gold to see you Mayor Mills,” the secretary said.

“Send him in,” Regina said, wondering why Gold would be there to see her once more.

Gold was smiling as he came limping in to her office. Suddenly, she wondered how it was that he had injured her leg. He had always had that limp as long as she could remember him, but for some reason how he came to have it wasn’t coming to mind.

“Hello Regina,” Gold said, stopping short of her desk, but remaining standing, his hands folded on top of the cane.

“Hello,” she responded. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, you already have. I am merely here to thank you,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” she responded. “You have me at a loss.”

“Didn’t Neal tell you?”

Now she was more a little confused. What did Neal have to do with any of this?

“I am not sure I know what you are talking about.”

“Forgive me then,” Gold said, bowing his head slightly to her. “I just assumed he had told given how close you two are. I must say I was certainly surprised when he walked into my shop but even after all of these years I recognized my son. So, since you are the reason he is here, I thought it only prudent to come and offer my thanks to you.”

“Wait. Neal, my Neal, is your son?”

“Yes,” Gold said, a smile still gracing his lips. “I am very grateful to have him back in my life and I owe that entirely to you.”

“How is this possible?” Regina asked, even though she had only meant to think it not say it. As far as she knew Mr. Gold had never had a son, had never been married. And Neal was from Tallahassee.

“I will leave it to Neal to explain it to you,” Gold said. “You two clearly have much to talk about. But I would be remiss if I didn’t come to visit you and express my appreciation for what you have done.”

Before Regina could say anything, Gold turned and walked out. Sitting there in stunned silence, Regina was reviewing everything she knew about Mr. Gold, but nothing pointed to him having a child. Still, she knew questioning Gold would be pointless.

She shifted her focus to Neal and what few things he had said about his father. About all she knew about him was that Neal had run away from home as a young child because of his father. He had once described his father as both a coward and a man who could not bear to give up his power.

Picking up her phone to text Neal, but she paused before doing so. Neal was her best friend. She trusted him. She was sure if Gold spoke the truth there was a reason why Neal had not told her about their connection.

She sent him a text, but only to see if he wanted to get dinner that evening. She would speak to him face to face about this.

…

Emma was having a good day. She knew she shouldn’t be that happy, but she couldn’t help it.

Yesterday, she had been as low as she probably ever had been in life. Sitting out there at the town line she had thought about how it was finally over – she had lost Regina for good. If she was being honest with herself, she knew she had lost Regina long before that. She had lost her when she had cheated on her all those years ago.

Then there was Regina getting into her car and she had started talking about Neal again, and Emma had wanted to yell at her – to tell her she didn’t want to hear about Neal and how they were happy together.

But then the conversation took a different turn, one Emma hadn’t been expecting.

The feel of Regina hugging her was like magic.

For so long she had longed to hold Regina in her arms once more, and while it was Regina hugging her, she let her body sink into hers.

Even now, less than a day later, she was still relishing the feel of Regina so close to her.

It was probably what prompted her to have a strange dream last night –a dream where she in a garden of some sort with Regina and Regina was smiling at her like she used to smile at her and they were holding on to each other and kissing each other.

Emma had woke feeling warm with the feeling of love for Regina.

Now, she needed to make sure that Regina knew she loved her still. The only way she could think to do that was to be able to finally cross that town line. She still had no idea why she was unable to do it and last night she should have been able to do it with Regina standing there just on the other side of the line.

If she had been able to then she could have taken Regina up in her arms and maybe even kiss her.

For a moment last night she thought they were going to kiss.

She wished she could have talked more with Regina last night, but Neal had interrupted her. Having seen Regina and Neal interact, she knew that Regina indeed had no interest in Neal sexually. Neal on the other, she couldn’t get a real good feel for him. He clearly liked Regina but there seemed to be a nervous current going through him last night.

Emma knew that she would need to spend more time with Neal to get a better handle on him. Plus, he was Regina’s best friend, which meant Emma needed to get a long with him if she hoped to get back together with Regina.

She was sitting at her desk at the office, getting ready to go out on patrol when she saw her mother coming in. They hadn’t spoken again since her mom had felt the need to throw her past transgression back in her face. Emma checked the time, it was lunch time at school, and sometimes her mom would come to the station to have a quick lunch with her dad.

That was why she was surprised when her mom came up to her instead.

“Emma, can we talk?”

“Sorry, I’m heading out on patrol,” Emma said, standing up.

“I got it,” her father said, coming out of his office.

Great, Emma thought, they had clearly planned this. Her father gave her a look meant to convey that she needed to speak to her mom, just before he gave Mary Margaret a kiss on the cheek and walked out.

Mary Margaret moved toward his office and Emma reluctantly followed her. Once they were in there with the door closed, Emma stood there with her arms crossed.

“I’m here to apologize,” Mary Margaret said.

“Well, I’m getting tired of you having to apologize,” Emma said. “I’m tired of you trying to tell me how to live my life. You’ve been doing it all my life. What is so wrong with letting me live my life the way I want?”

“I only want you to be happy,” Mary Margaret said.

“No, you don’t,” Emma said. “You want to be happy with the way I live my life. If you wanted me to be happy you would never have forbidden me to see Regina all those years ago. Tell me mom, what bothered you the most  about it – Regina or me? Did it bother you that much that I fell in love with a girl?”

“I have no issue with your sexuality,” her mom said.

“So then it’s Regina. Why don’t you like her?”

Mary Margaret turned from her a moment and then faced her again. “I don’t think she is good enough for you,” she said finally.

“How can you say that?”

“I have always felt that way about her,” she said. “Even before you two started to date and I had her in class, she always had it easy. Look at who her parents are. Do you think someone like that can ever be with you without looking down on you?”

“You’re unbelievable,” Emma responded. “You don’t know Regina if that is the way you think she is. She has never made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to be with her.”

“I really didn’t come here to argue with you,” Mary Margaret said. “I came here to make amends.”

“I don’t see that happening.”

“Emma, I love you, and I know we can get past this.”

Emma always felt like this with her mother – like she wasn’t listening to a single word she was saying.

“I have one simple question for you,” Emma said. “If you really do wish me happiness, this should be an easy one for you. If Regina and I get back together – and yes, it’s a possibility mother. She and I were together last night. If things progress how I want them to, she and I are not only going to be together, but it’s not going to be here in Storybrooke. Will you support us? She and I?”

Mary Margaret didn’t answer quickly and Emma turned to leave.

“I will support you,” Mary Margaret said.

Emma turned back toward her. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

…

Mary Margaret left the station and headed back to the school. Despite telling Emma she would support Regina and her getting back together, she already started to come up with a way to make sure that never happened.

When she got to the school, she sent a quick text message to the one person she thought may be able to help her – the one person that could ensure Regina would not accept Emma back into her life.

When Killian replied to her text, she smiled.


	30. Chapter 30

Regina knocked on Neal’s door and waited for him to answer. They had decided to have a quiet meal in his room tonight so they wouldn’t be interrupted. Ever since Gold had left her office she had been thinking about Neal and what she knew about him.

Before Gold’s visit she would have said she probably knew just about everything about Neal.

Now she wasn’t sure.

The door opened and there was Neal’s smiling face and it immediately put Regina at ease. This was Neal, she knew Neal and she knew that after she told him what Gold said he would have an explanation for it.

“You are in luck,” he said. “I managed to convince Granny to let me borrow the kitchen a bit to cook some food.”

“Wow,” Regina said. “She must have found you to be quite charming if she let you step foot in her kitchen.”

“As you know, I can be charming when I want to be,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

“Yes, I’m aware,” she said. “One of these days you are going to find a woman who appreciates it in different ways than I do.”

“For now, you are my number one girl,” Neal said, still smiling at her. “But who knows maybe down in Savannah I will find a nice southern girl and sweep her off her feet.”

Savannah. She had almost forgotten that she was moving to Savannah and Neal was going with her. It was almost as if it had been a distant thought of hers that she couldn’t quite hold on to.

“I know you can’t leave here yet,” Neal was saying. “But we should probably talk about what we are going to do with the place in Philly and what kind of place we want to get down in Savannah. Then there is the whole moving and well, it’s a lot to discuss.”

“Yeah,” she said. “It is a lot.”

“Are you ok?” Neal asked concerned. He laid a hand on her forearm and she made eye contact with him.

“Yes,” she said, shaking off the weird feeling that had descended onto her. “I’m fine. It’s just a lot to think about.”

“Come on,” Neal said. “Let’s get some food in you and we can start to talk about it.”

They sat down at the small table and started to eat, Regina talking about some of the town stuff in between bites, trying to figure out a way to ask Neal about Gold. The more she thought about it, the more preposterous it was to her that Gold could even suggest that Neal was his son.

“So, tell me about what happened with Emma last night?” Neal said.

She went on to tell him about finding Emma out at the town line and how she had come clean to her about her relationship with Neal. She told him about their conversation in the car and how Emma appeared to be having some sort of panic attack or something at the idea of crossing the town line. 

“We almost kissed,” Regina said finally.

“You did?” Neal asked.

“Yes. It was just a moment and then it passed and I suggested that we should get back into town. She then asked me to dinner and well you know the rest.”

“Did you want to kiss her?”

“I don’t know, yes, I guess,” Regina said. “It’s hard to explain. Emma has always just been the one. Every woman I have ever gone out with, I have whether I was conscious of it as the time or not, I compared to Emma. Not to Emma per se, but how Emma made me feel and no other woman has ever come close. And part of me wants to feel those feelings again.”

“What about the other part of you?”

“That is the more sensible part, the one that says if she couldn’t come after me before, and couldn’t cross the town line last night, then what kind of future does she and I really have? We’re not teenagers anymore, we’re adults and we have responsibilities and do I even really know her anymore,” Regina said. “And while I could get to know her all over again, would it be the same as before? Is this what I’m feeling now even real or just the memory of what we once had?”

“Only you can answer that question, so which do you think it is?”

Regina thought about it a moment, thought about what it was like standing out there at the town line with Emma in her arms. She thought about how it used to be, holding hands after school, kisses exchanged and Emma’s smile, which had always made Regina feel like it was reserved for her alone.

Was the love they shared something they could recapture if they dared to take this second chance? Had that love ever really gone away?

“I think it is real and that is why it scares me,” Regina said. “All those years ago, I was hurt so badly. And I don’t ever want to feel like that again. I know Emma made a mistake all those years ago, and so did I by not dealing with it for all this time, but what happens if one of us makes another mistake?”

“I don’t know,” Neal said. “Do you think she was being serious about leaving the town for you?”

“Yes,” Regina said. “But I don’t understand why she can’t cross the line. It makes no sense, but I do believe her when she says she can’t. It was the oddest thing because when I looked at her, I could tell she wanted to cross over to where I was at, but she just couldn’t. I have no explanation for it, and neither does she.”

Neal leaned back in his chair, removing his hand in the process. “Maybe the best thing you can do is wait,” Neal said. “Don’t pursue anything with her. Wait until you leave here, and if she really wants to be with you, she will cross that line. That will give you the time to sort out your own feelings and thoughts.”

“I need to talk to her,” Regina said. “I told her we would talk and I think we should do that sooner rather than later.”

“Well there is nothing wrong with talking,” Neal said. “I’m just saying, don’t rush to any decisions.”

Regina didn’t say anything for several moments. Normally, Neal was pushing her to go on dates, to take risks, to get out of her comfort zone. She wasn’t sure he had ever suggested she show restraint. He already thought she was too conservative.

“I had a visitor today at the office,” Regina said, changing the subject. “It was Mr. Gold. He is on city council, owns the pawn shop. I pointed him out to you the other day and he said something really strange to me about you. It was so strange I didn’t even know what to say to him. He came to thank me for bringing you to town because he said you are his son. I asked him how that was even possible and he told me to ask you and then promptly left.”

“Is this you asking me?”

Regina shrugged, “I don’t see how it is possible. To my knowledge Mr. Gold has never been out of this town. He’s never been married, and surely if he had a son, especially one not in this town, people would have talked about it. I mean, you are from Tallahassee.”

Neal didn’t respond.

“You aren’t his son, are you?” Regina asked.

Neal stood up and walked behind the chair, gripping the top of it with both hands, staring down at her. “I am,” he said.

“How?” she said.

“It’s a long story,” Neal said. “And not one I’m sure you are ready to hear.”

“What do you mean?”

“Regina, you know I love you, right?”

This time Regina was the one getting out of her chair and approaching him. “Of course, I do,” she said. “Whatever this is all about, you know you can tell me.”

“But I haven’t been completely truthful to you about my past,” he said. “I swear to you though, I had no idea my father was here in this town. Even when I asked you who he was the other day in the diner, I wasn’t sure it was him because it has been years since I have seen him and I could have gone years more without seeing him. I should have known he would come to see you. I’m sorry, I should have told you immediately, but that day, I went to the pawn shop to see if it was really him and it was. And he told me some things, things I’m still trying to process myself, things that if I told you, you would think I was crazy.”

“I believe you that you didn’t know he was here,” Regina said. “And I’m not going to think you are crazy. Just talk to me.”

“My father, he didn’t ask you to do anything for him did he? Or offer you a deal of some sort?”

“A deal? No, why would he …”

Neal grabbed her arm suddenly “You must never accept a deal from him no matter what. I don’t care what he offers you, never accept a deal from him. Promise me.”

Regina pulled away from him. “What are you talking about?”

“Sorry,” he apologized. “I don’t trust him is all.”

“I know you don’t,” Regina said. “The few things you have ever said about him have not been favorable. You said he essentially abandoned you when you were a kid.”

Neal moved over to the couch and took a seat and Regina followed him, sitting beside him and taking his hand. “Talk to me,” she said again. “Whatever it is, I promise, I will still be here for you when it’s all said and done.”

“This is going to sound insane,” Neal said. “I only know part of the story, and while he told me his part, about how he came to be here, I don’t know if any of it is true, although I fear it is true. And it doesn’t just affect me. It’s also about you, you and Emma.”

“Me and Emma? I don’t understand.”

“My father he needs something from you, something you can’t give him.”

“What does he need?”

“He needs you and Emma to kiss.”


	31. Chapter 31

Regina got up off the couch and took several steps away from Neal.

“What do you mean he needs me and Emma to kiss?” Regina asked. “What are you talking about?”

Neal also rose, but he didn’t move closer to her. “I know how this is going to sound. It’s going to sound crazy, and I could have easily lied or not told you any of this, but I need you to believe me because if you don’t, you could inadvertently be releasing a monster into this world.”

“Neal,” Regina said taking a step closer to him. “You aren’t making any sense.”

“I know, I know. I just need you to listen to me. Listen with an open mind. You see, I’m not from Tallahassee. In fact, I’m from the same place you are.”

“That’s not possible,” Regina said. “If you were from Storybrooke, I would know that. I would have known Gold was your father.”

“Not Storybrooke,” Neal said. “We’re not from this place. We aren’t even from this world. We are from a place called the Enchanted Forest. It’s a land of magic, a land where what they call fairy tales here are real. My father, well I used to think he was a good man, and maybe he was at some point, but that was before he gained power, power through magic. My father is Rumpelstiltskin.”

There was a pause before Regina laughed. “For a moment I thought you were being serious. You really had me going there for a second.”

“I’m not joking,” Neal said. “My father is Rumpelstiltskin. And Regina, he told me the reason he is here, the reason you are all here is because of you. You apparently brought all these people here, made this town from your magic, all because I was here in this world and my father was trying to find me so he used you to do it. He used your love for Emma to do all of this and now he needs that love to undo it.”

“You aren’t making any sense.”

“I know, but you have to listen to me, can you do that?” Neal asked. He didn’t wait for an answer, too afraid to let her have time to think it over. “The Enchanted Forest is … it’s completely unlike this world. It’s a world of castles and dragons and magic. I grew up in this world until my father gained magic through a talisman – a dagger. It turned him into Rumpelstiltskin. What he was becoming, it scared me and I thought the only way to stop him would be for him and I to go to another place – a world without magic. That turned out to be this world but when it came to leave my father showed himself for the coward he was. I went through the portal and he didn’t. I ended up here and he stayed there. And that I thought it was the end of it. Until I came here to see you and now everything has changed because my father wants his magic back, which isn’t possible without you.”

Regina backed away from again, clearly unsettled by what he had to say. As she stepped back Neal knew that she didn’t believe him.

He couldn’t blame her because he knew how all of this would sound to her, but he had to try.

“I didn’t know when I met you,” Neal said. “I just thought you were an extraordinary woman who for some reason decided to give me a chance. I didn’t know that my father sent you outside of Storybrooke to find me, but that is what he did. He explained it all to me. This town, it was made from magic and that magic prevents anyone from leaving it, except you.”

This caused Regina to stop as she thought about the night before – about Emma standing there at the border. No, she thought, it wasn’t possible. But Emma had said she didn’t understand why she couldn’t cross the border. She thought about her own parents and how they had never left this town to come visit her. She thought about all the others – people she was pretty sure had never left its boundaries.

Of all the things Neal had said so far, this gave her pause.

And Neal noticed.

“Yes,” he said. “This is why Emma couldn’t go with you when you left for college and why she couldn’t cross the border. It was never about her not wanting to be with you. It’s this place. She and the others are trapped here.”

“But why can I …?” She couldn’t bring herself to ask the entire question. She felt like if she did, it would in some way mean she believed all of this.

“Because of me,” he said. “My father is trapped here too, but you aren’t so he tricked you into all of this. He needed you out in the world to find me. Somehow, the magic that did all of this, compelled you even though you didn’t know it, it compelled you to look for me. Think about it Regina, think about all the different places you have lived and how we discovered they were all places I had been too. You always ended up in those places after me until we met in Philadelphia. I have no doubt if I had moved on from there that wherever I had gone you would have found some reason to be there too. Here, I thought it was my charming personality that had won you over, when the truth was it was magic.”

Regina thought about Mr. Gold’s interest in her and where she had been. He had always made it a point to ask her about her travels outside of Storybrooke.

“You said that Mr. Gold needed me and Emma to kiss- why?”

Neal sighed. He had been hoping that Regina might believe him a bit more before they got into this, but he could tell from the tone in her voice, she didn’t believe him. Still, he knew she was at least considering what he had to say which may be the best he could do.

Clearly, she didn’t remember her life back in the Enchanted Forest just as no one else in this town did. She didn’t know what she had done and while he was sure his father hadn’t told him every single detail, he knew that it wasn’t his father’s magic that had done this. He didn’t think that she needed to know that – at least not yet. He was struggling as it was to tell her what he was telling her.

“It took powerful magic to pull this off, not just magic, but a curse. If the curse is broken then this world, well, the magic would come back to this world and my father would be like he was before. Right now, he’s not anything but a man, but if he gets his magic back then I’m afraid of what he might do. That is why he needs you to kiss Emma because in our world the only way to break a curse is with true love’s kiss.”

This time Regina backed up until she hit the wall. “I … I think I should go. It’s been a long day,” she said and she walked over and grabbed her purse and made it to the door. When she opened it, she looked back at him and Neal could see the confusion in her eyes and that she was now looking at him like the stranger he was when he had tried to steal her car.

“I will be here when you are ready to believe,” Neal said.

Regina didn’t say anything else as she closed the door behind her.

….

Regina got home feeling unsettled by her conversation with Neal. The entire drive she kept thinking about how insane all of what he had to say was and how none of it was possible.

Because it wasn’t possible.

Thinking about it was why she was still sitting in her car in the driveway despite having arrived at her destination.

All her memories of growing up were here in Storybrooke. All her memories of Emma were here so it wasn’t possible that they would have known each other in some other place.

But she kept going back to what he said about how no one could leave this place. Yes, it was crazy, but somewhere in her mind she recognized that it also explained things.

If there were a spell keeping everyone but her here then that would explain why Emma couldn’t cross the town line.

“No,” she said, out loud. “It’s not possible.”

She shook her head at the absurdity of it. What she didn’t know was why Neal would say such things.

Getting out of the car, she told herself she wasn’t going to give it anymore thought until she talked to a more sane Neal.

Walking into the house, she was shocked to come into the living room and find Mrs. Swan there speaking with her parents.

“Home at last,” her mother said, giving her a small smile. “You have a visitor Regina.”

Mary Margaret rose from the chair she had been sitting in. “I’m sorry to show up here unannounced Regina, but I was hoping to speak to you. In private. And your parents were gracious enough to indulge my company while we waited for you.”

Warning bells were going off in Regina’s head. She could think of no reason why Emma’s mother would be there to speak to her unless of course it had to do with Emma and after the night she had already had, Regina wasn’t sure she was up for it.

“I won’t take up much of your time,” Mary Margaret said, sensing her hesitation.

“Of course,” Regina replied. “We can speak in my father’s office.” She led the way down the hall to the office, neither woman saying anything as they walked. Once the door was closed, Regina offered Mary Margaret a seat – the only one being in front of the desk while Regina took the seat behind it.

“I don’t know if you have spoken with Emma today or not,” she began. “Regardless if you have, I felt I should speak to you face to face. You see my daughter has expressed her intentions as it were when it comes to you. As you know I have never been supportive of such a relationship between the two of you. However, things change. I wanted you to know that if you and Emma choose to pursue a relationship once more, you will not have to worry about me standing in the way. Emma has asked me to be supportive and I will be. I thought you deserved to hear it directly from me.”

Regina sat back in the seat, trying to think this through. “Why?” she said. “Why the change?”

“All I want is my daughter to be happy,” Mary Margaret said. “I see now that I was the one in the wrong all those years ago when I forbid her to see you. Back then I didn’t think what you two had was more than infatuation and I expected it to pass, but when it didn’t, well, I behaved poorly. But I want you and Emma to know that will not happen again if you two choose to pursue a relationship.”

Regina still didn’t understand why Mrs. Snow thought she needed to come here and tell her this. Maybe Emma had said something to her, she thought.

“While I appreciate your willingness to put the past in the past, I think any discussion of Emma and I is a bit premature,” Regina said.

“Still,” Mary Margaret said. “I felt it needed to be said and be said by me.”

“Thank you,” Regina said. She didn’t trust this woman and nothing she had said made that opinion change. Even the smile on her face seemed forced which again made Regina wonder what was the point of this?

Mary Margaret stood up. “Thank you for your time.”

Regina watched her as she left, but she stayed seated, thinking how strange things had gotten in her life in just the last two days. She thought again about what Neal had said to her. What bothered her the most about it was that she knew when he was being sincere about something – and she got that feeling when he was telling her all these impossible things.

A place where fairy tales are real, he had said. A place of magic.

Suddenly, the odd dreams she had been having lately came to mind. Seeing Emma in a castle, on a throne. No, she thought, those were just dreams and had nothing to do with this.

She closed her eyes a moment and tried to recall one of those dreams in more detail, but she couldn’t remember any real details from them.

A knock on the doorframe got her attention and she looked up to see her parents standing there. She must have been sitting their alone with her thoughts for longer than she realized.

“Are you ok?” her mother asked.

“Yes,” Regina said. “Just a little taken aback by Mrs. Swan’s visit.”

Actually, it was less her visit and more of what Neal told her, but she wasn’t about to tell her parents what he had said.

“She didn’t upset did she?” her father asked.

“No, nothing like that. In fact, she only came here to tell me that she was done standing in the way of me and Emma, if Emma and I were to get back together.”

This had Cora crossing her arms. Her mother had tried to speak with Mrs. Swan back when she and Emma were teenagers, essentially trying to get her to back off, but Mary Margaret was having none of that.

“And what brought about this change of heart?” Cora asked, the skepticism plainly on display.

“I don’t know. She said she was wrong all those years ago and I guess she feels bad about it,” Regina said. “We didn’t really speak indepth about it.”

“You and Emma,” her father said. “Your mother said you were with her last night. Is there something there I should know about?”

Her father was smiling at her. He always was the hopeless romantic of the family.

“No,” Regina said, smiling back. “She and I are just talking.”

“If I recall correctly, you used the we’re just talking line on us at the start of your relationship with Emma all those years ago.”

It was true, Regina thought, she certainly had. When she first started seeing Emma, she had said they were just talking because when the started that is what it was. They talked and Regina had no idea what it meant that they were talking.

She still wasn’t certain until the night Emma kissed her.

Regina had seen Emma leaning in toward her and she thought maybe she was about to be kissed, but still it managed to surprise her when it actually happened.

There is something about a first kiss that was magical.

As soon at that thought popped into her head, she couldn’t help but think of what Neal said about being from a place that had magic and that magic had brought them here.

“Has Mr. Gold ever been out of Storybrooke?” she asked suddenly.

The question obviously caught both of her parents off guard.

“Not that I know of, but why do you ask?” Henry said.

She wasn’t about to tell them anything about what Neal had said or that Neal was his son.

“No reason,” she said. “He just always seems interested in where I have been. Every time I come back here he is always asking me about different places.”

“Maybe he is just curious,” her father said.

“Or nosy,” Cora said, earning her a look from Henry. “What? The man is always lurking around trying to keep tabs on everything and everyone. It’s creepy, he’s always been creepy.”

Her mother had never gotten along with Mr. Gold, or at least never said a kind word about him, but Regina didn’t really know why that was.

“It’s been a long day,” Regina said. “I think I’ll turn in early.”

She got up and walked over to them. Her father gave her a hug and she went upstairs. Once in her room, she sat on the bed. She wasn’t really tired, but she felt out of sorts with everything that had happened.

Normally if she was feeling stressed or didn’t know what to do, she would sit and talk to Neal because he always had a way to make her feel better.

But talking to Neal now wasn’t an option.

Taking out her phone, she called Emma.

“Hey,” Emma said, answering the phone.

“Hi,” Regina said. “I thought I should call you because …” Suddenly, Regina wanted to tell Emma everything. Tell her all that Neal had said so that Emma could tell her that clearly there was something wrong with Neal because there was no way this entire town was being held captive by a church.

“Regina?”

“Sorry,” Regina, realizing she had trailed off. “Your mom was just here.”

“Oh God,” Emma said. “That woman is unbelievable. Did she say or do something to upset you?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. She was actually here to apologize for her behavior in the past and to let me know that if you and I were to date again that it wouldn’t be like it was before, that she would support us this time around.”

“Huh,” Emma said. “I guess she is taking that to heart. She and I had a talk earlier and I told her that she could forget having any sort of relationship with me if she couldn’t support me being with who I want to be with. Still, I didn’t think she’d show up to tell you this. If I had known I would have warned you. Sorry.”  
“It’s not your fault, I’m not angry or anything,” Regina said. “I thought I should tell you that she stopped by is all. Although I did wonder what brought about her change of heart.”

“I should have put my foot down with her a long time ago. I mean she’s always said she wants me to be happy, but she can’t seem to put that into practice,” Emma said. “And speaking of being happy, when do I get to see you again?”

Regina couldn’t help but smile. Emma always knew how to make smooth transitions.

“I don’t know,” Regina said. “Is that your way of asking me out?”

“Yes,” Emma said.

“Well in that case, I guess I could be agreeable to that. What did you have in mind and when?”

“How about two nights from now?”

“That works for me,” Regina said. “And what will be doing on this date?”

“Leave that to me,” Emma said. “I’ll let you know what time for sure tomorrow.”

“Ok,” Regina said. “I will speak with you tomorrow. Bye Emma.”

“Good night,” Emma said before hanging up.

A date. She was going to go on a date with Emma. She had just been thinking about what a whirlwind these last couple of days had been yet agreeing to go out with her had seemed to natural. Neal had said that his father needed her to kiss because they were true loves. Regina shook off the thought. She wasn’t going to let Neal and whatever that was this evening invade her thoughts anymore tonight.

Even as she thought it though, she again tried to remember one of the strange dreams she had been having. Nothing specific was coming to mind and she decided she would change and go to bed. If she dreamt tonight she hoped it was an ordinary dream or better yet that she didn’t remember her dreams at all.


End file.
